What Drives Workplace Happiness?

The vast majority of professionals are content at work—and relatively few plan to seek opportunities with a new employer over the next year, according to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association. The resulting "2016 Work and Well-Being Survey" report conveys an overall encouraging assessment of the current state of the workplace. Most employees said they are motivated to do their "very" best for their companies, for example. They generally feel they maintain good work-life balance, as few said that job duties are interfering with family responsibilities. And—all things considered—employees aren't feeling overwhelmed by stress. That said, the findings call attention to a number of improvement areas that CIOs and other managers and execs should carefully consider: Organizations could do better in providing employee recognition. They'd also further engage teams if they allowed them to get more involved in decision-making, problem-solving and goal-setting, while providing regular feedback about work performance. More than 1,500 U.S. workers took part in the research.