The United States has the happiest employees, according to research released by global staffing firm Robert Half.
Following close behind the U.S. are Germany, Netherlands, Australia and Canada.
The complete results are published in a new report: It’s Time We All Work Happy: The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees. In the study, Robert Half worked with leading happiness expert Nic Marks and Saamah Abdallah of Happiness Works. The team conducted their research on employee happiness with more than 23,000 working professionals across Europe, North America and Australia.
“Happy employees are at the heart of successful organizations; they’re engaged, motivated and ultimately support a more innovative, productive work environment,” says Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half, International Staffing Operations. “Managers can improve happiness levels in their companies by frequently recognizing staff contributions, and making sure employees understand how their roles fit in with overall company goals.”
The countries with the lowest levels of employee happiness according to the study are France (63.8), Belgium (65.2), and the UK (67.2).
In an interesting spin on the subject of workplace happiness, the report also shows what the top drivers of employee happiness are in each country individually. In Canada, the United States and the UK for example, the highest-ranking factors are having pride in one’s organization, feeling appreciated and being treated with fairness and respect. France, Belgium, Germany and Australia desire to be treated with fairness and respect the most. Netherlands takes a different approach and reports that a sense of accomplishment is the most important driver of work happiness.
The research is based on survey results of more than 23,000 working professionals who are currently employed on a full- or part-time basis, across eight countries, with the results segmented by geographic location.
To read The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees, click here.
