7 out of 10 employees happy at work

People often talk about the back-to-work blues following a long weekend, but according to a recent survey 71% of employees are satisfied with their wellbeing at work.

The 2016 Edenred-Ipsos Barometer shows that an average of seven out of 10 employees worldwide are happy at work, with the UK sitting right on that number. The happiest workers are in India, where 88% say they feel satisfied. On the other hand, Japanese people are far behind the rest of the world, with only 44% of respondents reporting satisfaction.

Skills management is the factor employees say has the greatest effect on their wellbeing, with the priority being the transmission and renewal of skills. 66% of those surveyed say this is currently their main expectation. This confirms earlier CIPD research into the importance of training at work. It comes ahead of flexible hours, the promotion of health at work, diversity and the integration of young people.

Meanwhile, only 67% of French employees feel satisfied, with the main reason cited as a lack of attention and respect from management. They also feel less confident in their professional future with their company.

“In professional environments undergoing profound changes, employees play a central role. Active consideration for their wellbeing at work is a priority; in France, this covers not only the prevention of psycho-social risks but also the implementation of ambitious skills development strategies and revised management modes focused on dialogue, involvement and contribution,” explains Antoine Solom, Director of the Employee Relations Management Practice at the Ipsos Group.

“In a sometimes difficult economic context, employee engagement is central to the sustainable performance of organisations. In its capacity of observer of the job market, Edenred listens closely to companies to improve their efficiency, in particular in terms of human resources. To that end, the Edenred-Ipsos Barometer is a preferred tool for determining the needs of employees and allows us to think about developing specific HR actions. We ourselves put into practice a dynamic HR policy from day to day aiming to create conditions for this well-being at work, in particular with management coaching, training on digital immersion, systematic ‘Best place to work’ certification schemes, etc.” affirms Jeanne Renard, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility for Edenred.