Why workplace happiness matters

Workplace happiness matters

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Something many children are asked and many endlessly ponder.  An astronaut? A Rockstar? An athlete?  Most children will choose a job or a career based on the levels of wealth and fame it creates.  If only they would take as much interest in how happy they can be in a job when deciding on what they want to be when they grow up.

Indeed industries and jobs should have recognised happiness scores. 

Happiness shouldn’t be viewed as a ‘touchy-feely’ topic.  Quite the opposite.  It has tangible benefits and particularly for a business’ bottom line.  An engaged and happy workforce drive levels of productivity.  Research shows that companies with the most engaged work forces have productivity that is 20% higher, profits that are 20% higher, a lower sick absence and a lower staff turnover.

Indeed happiness is something we all strive for in all aspects of our lives but when do we ever get a chance to reflect on that happiness?  Wellbeing at work has become the ‘hot topic’ for many industries and it’s this that I am interested in when I analyse the data from the Workplace Happiness Survey, free to all on my platform, Engaging Works. 

Designed to make the world a little happier, Engaging Works offers workplace happiness surveys and career development opportunities for individuals and businesses.  We have surveyed over 10,000 employees globally measuring development, information sharing, wellbeing, empowerment and much more.

With the Happiness Survey, we can track global happiness in real time, it’s currently 653 out of 1000.  As I write this, Marketing and Advertising is currently scoring 693  – and the UK’s average score is 649.

Indeed marketing and advertising always scores high when it comes to happiness at work.  The sector came third in our analysis of the State of the Nation at the end of last year, coming close behind Fast Moving Consumer Goods, and Transportation & Logistics. 

In recent data, Marketing and Advertising ranked 8th out of 24 industries in rating how developed they feel at work.

Recently we have launched, The Happiness Podcast where I speak with people from a range of backgrounds about their workplace happiness.  What is striking is how little people reflect and think about happiness in a career that has lasted decades.  So, if you hear young children saying what they want to be when they grow up, encourage them to simply say, happy.

By Lord Mark Price Founder of Engaging Works

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