Improving work wellbeing

Indeed is committed to helping the world work better by establishing a standard for measuring work wellbeing, and increasing the number of people with greater wellbeing at work. We aim to guide job seekers towards better work and inspire employers to foster environments where everyone can thrive.

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Why wellbeing?

Research shows that the leading causes of turnover are pay, stress, and lack of satisfaction and happiness. While historically fair pay and flexibility were the key drivers people considered when thinking about work, job seeker expectations are changing.

Investing in employee wellbeing is an all-win scenario, and a direct and measurable way companies can have a positive impact. Work satisfaction is a huge driver for life satisfaction, with 86% of people reporting how they feel at work impacts how they feel at home.^{Indeed Work Wellbeing Report, based on a commissioned survey (n=4,002 US adults), conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2023.}

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“ The future of work conversation cannot happen without employee wellbeing being at the center of it.
LaFawn Davis, Chief People & Sustainability Officer Indeed

Our work wellbeing vision

We imagine a world where every employer is measuring work wellbeing. Here’s how we plan to make that happen.

Establish a standard for measuring and improving work wellbeing

Bring wellbeing data and resources to job seekers

Incorporate work wellbeing into Indeed’s own HR strategy, and increase the number of people with greater work wellbeing within Indeed

Serve as a strategic partner to employers in understanding, prioritizing, and improving work wellbeing

The current state of wellbeing at work

We’ve launched the world’s largest survey of work wellbeing,^{2023 Indeed.com Data, based on number of survey responses globally.} with more than 22M survey completions to date. This data is currently visible on Indeed.com for 110K+ companies in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, giving millions of job seekers greater insight into the employee experience at companies they are considering during their job search. According to our survey:

21% of workers are thriving at work with high wellbeing
59% of workers are getting by at work with neutral wellbeing
20% of workers are struggling at work with low wellbeing

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Each year, we also commission Forrester to run a research study to better understand the current state of work wellbeing. Our most recent Work Wellbeing 2023 Insights Report features the following key insights:

Workforce expectations continue to rise – accelerated by a global pandemic.

Fair pay and flexibility are no longer the only key factors people are considering when searching for their next role.^{Indeed Work Wellbeing Report, based on a commissioned survey (n=4,002 US adults), conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2023.}

Stress is leading to turnover.

Lack of satisfaction and happiness, as well as increased stress, are factors leading to turnover.^{Indeed Work Wellbeing Report, based on a commissioned survey (n=4,002 US adults), conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2023.}

Measuring and understanding employee wellbeing is becoming vital to attracting and retaining talent.

90% of people believe how we feel at work matters.^{Indeed Work Wellbeing Report, based on a commissioned survey (n=4,002 US adults), conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2023.}

Employers should put people and their wellbeing at the core of business decisions.

As an employer, by knowing what matters and how you’re doing, we can begin the journey to increasing work wellbeing together.^{Indeed Work Wellbeing Report, based on a commissioned survey (n=4,002 US adults), conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2023.}

Our approach to improving work wellbeing

In partnership with leading wellbeing experts Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Professor of Psychology at University of California, Riverside, and Dr. Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, Director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, we have identified key outcomes of wellbeing at work. Indeed measures work wellbeing based on these key outcome metrics.

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Happiness

I feel happy at work, most of the time

Purpose

My work has a clear sense of purpose

Stress

I feel stressed at work, most of the time

Satisfaction

I feel completely satisfied with my work

We think of these four wellbeing outcomes as key performance indicators. We also measure dimensions that influence these outcomes: belonging, appreciation, trust, fair pay, flexibility, inclusion, support, encouragement, energy, manager support, achievement, and learning. These drivers explain why people feel the way they feel, and shape happiness, stress, satisfaction, and purpose.

To amplify our impact, Indeed joined the World Wellbeing Movement as a founding member —

aiming to put wellbeing metrics at the heart of business and public policy decision-making. Together, we will release evidence-based interventions that companies and individuals can consider to increase work wellbeing.

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