UQ Wellness Magazine - MAY 26 - Flipbook - Page 28
Who are the happiest
workers?
Happiness is not evenly
spread across industries,
locations or age groups.
By industry, government
and defence workers
reported the highest levels
of workplace happiness,
while engineering and
construction sat at the
lower end. Retail, education
and healthcare also
performed relatively well.
Geographically, South
Australia came out on
top, with the highest
proportion of happy
workers. Western
Australia recorded
the lowest levels of
reported workplace
happiness, highlighting
regional differences
and opportunities for
targeted action.
Happiness does not stop at the of昀椀ce door
One of the strongest messages in the report
is the link between work and life outside of
work. While 67 percent of Australians say
they are happy outside of work, those who
are happy at work are far more likely to also
feel happy at home.
Among people who are unhappy at work, less
than half reported being happy outside of
work. This reinforces the idea that work plays
a signi昀椀cant role in overall wellbeing, even if it
is not the only factor.
Happy people do more and stay longer
Happiness at work also in昀氀uences behaviour.
More than two thirds of employees who are
happy at work say they are motivated to go
above and beyond in their roles. This includes
mentoring others, stepping up when needed
and contributing positively to team culture.
On the retention side, unhappy employees
are far more likely to think about changing
jobs. This matters when replacing an
employee can cost up to 200 percent of their
annual salary, not to mention the 昀氀ow on
effects to morale and workloads.
