Feeling appreciated and the quality of workplace both key to employee happiness

The quality of the workplace has a powerful effect on the levels of happiness of staff, with nearly half of respondents (49 percent) to a recent survey stating that having a great office environment is important to their happiness at work, but according to the figures, only a quarter (25 percent) say a good workplace environment is a current positive about their work. The survey from Peldon Rose also found that less than half (45 percent) of employees actually feel appreciated at work and only two-thirds (67 percent) report feeling happy. Yet the majority of workers (80 percent) who took part, believe that feeling appreciated is most important to their happiness at work – ahead of salary (58 percent) and feeling trusted (55 percent).

The Happy Office Survey also rates the happiest sectors to work in, with construction and manufacturing topping the league table with nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) saying they are happy at work, followed by media and communications (72 percent), and hospitality and leisure (72 percent). At the bottom of the league table is retail, with only 54 percent of retail workers reporting that they are happy at work, below IT and telecoms (66 percent) and education (67 percent).

Jitesh Patel, Chief Executive at Peldon Rose, commented: “Happiness is not only crucial to the mental wellbeing of employees, it is also good for business.  Happy workers will be more productive and creative and more likely to be loyal to their employers.  To improve happiness levels, it is vital that employers demonstrate their appreciation to their employees by investing in training and development, tools and technology and the right office environment.”

Workplace Happiness League Table

Percentage of employees who say they are ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ at work:



Key findings

Feeling appreciated: Eighty percent of people say that feeling appreciated is important to their happiness at work, ahead of salary (58 percent) and feeling trusted (55 percent) but only 45 percent of employees actually feel appreciated by their company.

Demonstrating appreciation: Training and development (80 percent), tools and technology to do the job efficiently (79 percent), full kitchen facilities (59 percent) and quiet zones to concentrate (59 percent) are all considered important in making people feel appreciated at work.

Happiest workers: Construction and manufacturing workers are the nation’s happiest; 78 percent are happy at work compared with 67 percent of employees nationally.  Over half (54 percent) of workers in this sector feel appreciated by their company, compared with 45 percent nationally, and they are most likely to agree that they have the right tools and technology to do their jobs (66 percent vs 55 percent nationally).