The workplace has undergone significant changes in the past five years. So, too, has worker well-being.
An annual survey of more than 1.5 million workers has found that between 2019 and 2023, workplace well-being has declined. There was a noticeable improvement in 2020, but that has since eroded as workers have returned to the office and lost the flexibility that improved work-life balance.
All surveyed industries saw the same decline, but health care, retail and hospitality sectors reported the lowest levels in workplace well-being.
The survey is part of the "Well-Being at Work: Fostering a Healthy Climate for All" report from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Great Place to Work. The surevey measured five key dimensions for fostering corporate climates:
- Mental and emotional support,
- Sense of purpose,
- Personal support,
- Financial support and
- Meaningful connections.
Companies with high levels of well-being show the substantial businesses cost of not providing psychological safety at the workplace in the form of lower profits, decreased engagment, higher turnover, poorer customer service and increased health care costs.
"Improving employee well-being can be complex—our research highlights a need for leaders to address organizational culture factors coupled with a more nuanced management approach to create a climate of well-being for all," said Rick Smith, faculty director at the Human Capital Development Lab and co-author, in a statement.
The report found that female, African-American and younger employees all scored lower in well-being than colleagues who were male, white, and older. The findings regarding gender and race highlight "the ongoing need for organizations to address equity, inclusion and belonging for all employes."
The full report is available here.
