What are the secrets to employee happiness at work in 2025 and beyond?

It’s not a straight-forward question to answer. Many factors affect how we view our work, and how much we enjoy it.

Given the rise in hybrid working, the debates surrounding a return to the office, a global decrease in employee engagement, and geo-political and economic uncertainty – employers have the opportunity to consider what really impacts our happiness at work, and help make a difference where they can.

Why is happiness at work important?

Employee happiness at work is key – we spend much of our time working, so it makes sense that it should be something that feels purposeful, rewarding, and manageable alongside our personal lives.

The term ‘happiness’ can mean so much, and how happy you are can fuel so many other aspects of a person’s job, role, and career.

It can feed engagement, work-life balance, wellbeing, mental health, team relationships, ambition, loyalty, productivity and so much more.

That makes it an important consideration for employers, including HR teams and people managers. According to research, happy workers can be up to 30% more productive, and 25% more loyal to their employer, making employee happiness at work a key metric to track and try to improve.

What are the secrets to employee happiness at work?

We’ve compiled a plethora of the latest statistics and research surrounding happiness at work in our latest eBook: 8 Secrets About Happiness at Work …That Your Employees Aren’t Telling You.

It examines 8 key factors that affect employee happiness, from work-life balance and people management, to salary and free lunches. Let’s break down a couple of them here…

1. Listen up, and take action

According to one report, just 2% of organisations say that employee feedback influences business decisions.

That’s a shocking figure, especially when you consider that it is fairly standard practice amongst many organisations to perform an annual engagement survey (and possibly more frequent pulse surveys in between).

If employees aren’t given the opportunity to have their say – or rather, they are given a platform on which to voice their likes and dislikes, but little to nothing is done following their feedback, then morale and engagement can suffer.

Disengaged employees are not happy employees, and may quickly feel as though their ideas, opinions, and concerns don’t matter – potentially leading to a drop in performance and a temptation to find another employer that offers a more receptive ear.

2. Flexibility is worth more than you think

According to a global survey, 63% of all respondents would accept a pay cut to work remotely more often.

Hybrid and remote working have become much more commonplace following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the UK alone, more than a quarter of working adults (28%) work in either a remote or hybrid model.

And it seems that the benefits of working from home or a remote location still hold massive importance to employees around the world. Taking away this flexibility can potentially lead to challenges for the likes of working parents and those with disabilities, as well as narrowing the talent pool from which employers can recruit.

3. A manager can make or break a team

According to research from the CIPD, bad people management leads to poorer mental health, lower job satisfaction, increased pressure, and a reduced willingness to go the extra mile.

Outside of our loved ones and friends, our line manager might be the next most influential person in our lives. It’s therefore important that our relationship with them works well, and if it does, our happiness at work will be boosted.

But much is asked of a people manager. Not just in their day-to-day responsibilities, but also in managing their teams’ wellbeing, performance, absence, progression and more. HR teams and business leaders must consider relevant training, education and support needed to empower people managers to carry out their duties successfully.

A deeper dive into the topic

For a deeper dive into this topic, and to discover the other 5 remaining secrets about happiness at work, you can download our latest eBook below, completely free.

We’ve compiled the latest research and statistics surrounding work-life balance, productivity, retention and more, and provided practical tips and initiatives to consider implementing in your own organisation. We hope you enjoy the read.