A new Mindspace survey has found that employees of large US companies are happiest.
The survey carried a specific focus on employee engagement, wellness, and overall happiness.
The findings revealed that employees of SMEs, particularly in the UK, are less happy at work.

Mindspace, the global boutique coworking provider, polled 5000 employees worldwide as part of its global work culture survey. In the US, the survey covered 1000 employees from across the country.

Mindspace surveyed people around the world to find out how they feel about their jobs, with a specific focus on employee engagement, wellness, and overall happiness at work. The survey revealed that the vast majority of US employees are happy in their workplace – placing the country at the top the list among the other countries surveyed:

Overall Employee Happiness by Country

US: 93%
Netherlands: 91%
Poland: 83%
Romania: 82%
Germany: 81%
Israel: 81%
UK: 73%

At the same time, the survey found a vast gap between large companies and smaller companies. In terms of employee engagement, small US companies stand out – but not in a good way. 16% of small companies do not organize any events, compared with 9.5% of medium companies and 6.8% of corporates and enterprises together. Moreover, 9% of small companies do not assess employee engagement, compared with 5% of medium companies and 6.3% of corporates/enterprises.

This lack of management focus on employee engagement shows. Employees of SMEs are generally more guarded when it comes to engagement events: 5.5% of them do not like such activities at all versus only 1% of corporates/enterprises employees. This lack of activity on the side of SMEs clearly shows in the sense of engagement employees feel with the company: 6.5% of them do not feel very or at all engaged, vs. 2.7% of employees of larger companies.

Other key findings include:

87.5% of US office workers ‘like’ or ‘love’ going to work, as compared to 56.6% in the UK
Only 2% of US employees hate or dislike their jobs, as opposed to 16.9% in the UK
Millennials are happier: 95% of US millennials versus 89% of Baby Boomers are happy in their jobs
96% of US workers feel engaged and valued in their job
95% of US companies strongly value employee wellness
68% of US workers can work flexible hours, and 35% think flex time is a high-value perk
Women (30.43%) are more unhappy with their salaries than men (11.11%)

Why do US respondents like going to work? Top of the list was ‘achieving set goals and results’, followed by ‘doing their job’, and ‘a sense of purpose and meaning’. The social aspect of the office plays a smaller role in the US than elsewhere, yet 84.5% of all those surveyed in the US feel that working in a more collaborative people-focused environment makes them happier than working alone (as opposed to 60.9% in the UK).

Dan Zakai, CEO and co founder, Mindspace, says “We have shown that employee happiness is a hugely significant factor for every US business, with employee engagement rates double those who aren’t happy at work. We believe that employee happiness in the workplace should be a core focal element for businesses. The facts are there – happier employees means more successful businesses, including better retention rates, greater engagement and a more collaborative work environment.”

The US specific report also takes a deep dive into the state of American workplace happiness and analyzes: