Dive Brief:

• A majority of full-time American staffers (88%) describe themselves as "happy" at work, according to a survey from Wrike. The company's Happiness Index reveals 71% of respondents said they are "mostly happy," while 17% described themselves as "elated." More than 1,000 workers at organizations with 200 or more employees were polled in each of four countries — the U.S., U.K., France and Germany — to calculate survey results.
• Workers in the study with access to collaborative work management software were 85% more likely to identify as happy in the workplace. Wrike said that trends toward diversity and inclusion and emerging technology in the workplace have a significant correlation with worker happiness.
• Respondents who identified as happy were 55% more likely to rate their company as "above average" when it comes to diversity, Wrike said. Happy employees also are three times more likely to attend after-work events and 25% more likely to eat lunch with co-workers. Such employees also are 91% more likely to describe their relationship with their manager as being "very good."

Dive Insight:

Wrike's data seems to correspond with other sources reporting high U.S. job satisfaction. A 2017 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management showed 89% of U.S. workers were satisfied on the job. Another survey indicated strong satisfaction among those who work for small businesses, with flexible scheduling and workers being able to see "the fruits of their labor" as key drivers.

Another factor that can boost happiness at work is job autonomy, or the act of allowing employees to take ownership of the work they perform. For some workers, the opportunity to learn through doing, even if they make mistakes, pushes them to be more innovative.

Work-life balance also has emerged in the HR conversation as a motivating perk. As more businesses find that flexible scheduling, remote work options and other such perks make workers statistically more satisfied, they're also noticing an increased chance of retaining those workers. One Robert Half poll found workers who achieve work-life balance report being more productive and more loyal to their employer.