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Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance Hardcover – March 25, 2025
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The definitive account of workplace wellbeing and its key drivers, offering a fresh, data-driven perspective on the connections between happiness, productivity, and organizational success.
Most of us spend a third of our waking lives at work. Work shapes our schedules, relationships, identities, and economies—but is it actually making us happy? This crucial question is explored in depth by leading Oxford researchers Jan-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward, who provide the richest, most comprehensive picture of workplace wellbeing yet.
In Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters, the authors clarify what workplace wellbeing is (and is not) and offer a framework for how businesses can approach and improve it. Drawing on extensive large-scale data—including the world's largest data set on employee wellbeing, gathered in partnership with the jobs platform Indeed—the book reveals the remarkable ways in which wellbeing at work varies across workers, occupations, companies, and industries.
The authors present new, evidence-based insights into the origins of workplace wellbeing and how businesses can enhance the employee experience. Integrating work from multiple academic disciplines, they show that workplace wellbeing encompasses both how we think about our work as a whole and how we feel while doing it. Their research demonstrates that improving wellbeing can boost productivity, aid in talent retention and recruitment, and ultimately improve financial performance.
With in-depth analysis and keen insight, De Neve and Ward debunk myths and test assumptions amid an often confusing cacophony of voices on wellbeing at work. Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters provides a firm foundation and indispensable resource for leaders seeking to shape the future of work.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarvard Business Review Press
- Publication dateMarch 25, 2025
- Dimensions6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-101647826357
- ISBN-13978-1647826352
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"They have done some of the best analysis in the field seeking to understand the drivers of wellbeing, and its links to productivity." — Financial Times
Advance Praise for Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters:
"Workplace wellbeing is more important but also more elusive than ever. The good news is that De Neve and Ward have given us an evidence-based guide to finding it. This book is truly essential reading for every leader in business today." — Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology, Yale University; host, The Happiness Lab podcast
"Finally—a smart, complete, and readable account of the science of workplace wellbeing, along with practical advice about how to improve it. Forget all that nonsense about effective habits and visionary leadership. This is the book every executive, manager, and business owner should read." — Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author, New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness
"How we feel at work not only matters greatly for human wellbeing, it's also crucial to company performance. De Neve and Ward provide us with the evidence and tools we need to take workplace wellbeing and performance to the next level. This book is a game changer." — Diana Han, MD, Chief Health and Wellbeing Officer, Unilever
"Wellbeing is good for us: it makes us happier, healthier, and more resilient. Finally, in this splendid book, De Neve and Ward also give us compelling evidence that wellbeing is measurable and profitable." — Martin Seligman, Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania; author, New York Times bestseller Authentic Happiness
"'Workplace wellbeing matters.' Everyone says this, but what is workplace wellbeing and how can we improve it? This excellent, evidence-rich book opens the black box and identifies the specific features of workplace wellbeing that are linked to improved performance, providing practical steps for managers to enhance them." — Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance, London Business School; author, Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit
"It's clear we're in a new era for organizations in which the ability to attract and retain talent is absolutely critical to innovation and success. This book conclusively demonstrates that workplace wellbeing should underpin any company's strategy. A must-read." — Loren Shuster, Chief People Officer, LEGO Group
About the Author
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve is Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at the University of Oxford, where he directs the Wellbeing Research Centre. His research, published in top academic journals, was included among "The Management Ideas That Mattered Most" by Harvard Business Review. He is an editor of the World Happiness Report and coauthor of the preeminent textbook on wellbeing science.
George Ward earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently the Mary Ewart Junior Research Fellow in Economics at Somerville College, University of Oxford. He coauthored The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being over the Life Course and has published widely on the topic of human wellbeing in leading academic journals.
Product details
- Publisher : Harvard Business Review Press (March 25, 2025)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1647826357
- ISBN-13 : 978-1647826352
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #100,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #127 in Human Resources & Personnel Management (Books)
- #151 in Workplace Culture (Books)
- #539 in Business Management (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
George Ward is an incoming Assistant Professor at INSEAD. He is currently the Mary Ewart Stipendiary Junior Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Oxford, and completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as Management Science, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Psychologist, Harvard Business Review, and The American Journal of Political Science. He is the co-author of the books The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being over the Life Course, published by Princeton University Press, and Can We Be Happier? Evidence and Ethics, published by Penguin Books. His work has been covered by news outlets including the Financial Times, The Economist, New York Times, BBC, CNN, Business Insider, and Fast Company.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve is Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at the University of Oxford, where he also directs the Wellbeing Research Centre. He is best known for his research on the economics of wellbeing which has led to new insights into the relationship between happiness and income, productivity, firm performance, and economic growth. His pioneering research is published in the leading academic journals across multiple disciplines, including Science, Nature, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Psychological Science, Management Science, Journal of Political Economy, and the British Medical Journal. His research was recognized among "The Management Ideas That Mattered Most" by Harvard Business Review and he currently guides the world's largest study on workplace wellbeing in partnership with Indeed.
De Neve co-authored the main textbook on wellbeing science with Richard Layard, is an editor of the World Happiness Report, and co-founder of the World Wellbeing Movement. Additionally, he serves as a member of the UN Expert Group on Wellbeing Measurement. De Neve frequently consults for governments and major corporations, and his insights on wellbeing and policy are sought by leading global media.
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2025Great new book on belonging
- Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025That's a question that many executives are now asking at a time when the business world is much more volatile, more uncertain, more complex, and more ambiguous than at any prior time that I can recall.
Jean-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward observe: "Workplace wellbeing is how we feel about our work. It has evaluative, affective, and eudaimonic [i.e. that which is capable of producing happiness] components...Evaluative workplace wellbeing refers to how we think about our jobs...Affective wellbeing, on the other hand, refers to how we actually feel on a day-to-day basis while we are at work...Finally, eudaimonic wellbeing comes from the Greek word eudiamonia and is often traced to the work of Aristotle. This component of workplace wellbeing is about how much of a sense of purpose we get out of our work...Wellbeing ends up being a composite measure of all sorts of things -- including wages, flexibility, job satisfaction, work-life balance, stress, paid time off, worker engagement, employee loyalty, turnover intentions, and more. In doing so, these well-meaning indexes at once measure everything and nothing."
FYI, De Neve and Ward "distinguish workplace well being from its drivers," and, "separate workplace wellbeing from what are better seen as its effects, or downstream consequences."
These are among the other passages of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to indicate the nature and scope of De Neve and Ward's coverage:
o Introduction (Pages 1-11)
o Wellbeing at Work: An Overview (13-30
o Measuring Workplace Wellbeing (18-19
o Figure 1-4, A Model of Workplace Wellbeing (21)
o The Drivers of Workplace Wellbeing (25-27
o Pathways to Performance (27-28
o A Future of Work That Works for Wellbing (29-30
o The Importance of Work for Wellbeing (51-67
o The Current State of Wellbeing (69-93
o Figure 4-5, Job Satisfaction Around the World (80)
o How to Improve the Drivers of Workplace Wellbeing (127-139)
o Figure 7-4, Quality of Work Relationships Varies Significantly across the World (135)
o Independence and Flexibility: Impact of Work-Life Balab=nce on Workplace Wellbeing (139-150)
o Productivity (169-179)
o Recruitment and Retention Issues (181-191
o A Big-Data Approach (198-202)
o Technology and Workplace Wellbeing Issues (209-220)
o The Example of Working from Home (232-236)
o Shaping the Future of Work (236)
I have yet to encounter an organization in which all of its employees are healthy and happy, all of its employees' efforts have high-impact and substantial value. That said, the organizations that are annually ranked among those most highly admired and best to work for are also annually ranked among those most profitable, with the greatest cap value in their industry segment. However different these organizations may be in most respects, all of them have a workplace culture within which wellbeing really does matter.
Moreover, the results of all major surveys of employee relations are worth noting. A majority of respondents in each survey ranked feeling appreciated among what is of greatest importance to them. Of course, some members of a workforce are happier than others are at any given time and moods and attitudes can change, sometimes unexpectedly. However, a commitment to workplace wellbeing must be continuous and sustained.
I commend Jean-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward on their brilliant, substantial contributions to thought leadership throughout the global marketplace and highly recommend this material to all C-level executives and those who aspire to become one as well as to middle managers also with direct reports as well as to those who are now preparing for a business career or have only recently embarked upon one.
* * *
Here are two suggestions while you are reading Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: First, highlight key passages. Also, perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to each of the Figures inserted strategically throughout the lovely and eloquent narrative as well as the last paragraph in each of the twelve chapters
These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2025As Stevo’s Novel Ideas, I am a long-time book reviewer, member of the media, an Influencer, and a content provider. I received this book as a review copy from either the author, the publisher, or a publicist. I have not been compensated for this recommendation. I have given it a Best of the Best designation for the month of March, 2025, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic or of this genre.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025This is a very compelling, scientific, and informative book on the subject of workplace wellbeing. It provides lots of data in a form of graphs to illustrate its points. Practically, managers can get insights from the graphs in the book if they want to present something about employee satisfaction and how it affects the bottom line.
The book sounds academic which makes it different from books leaning towards general readers. Managers will greatly benefit from this evidence based approach.
Top reviews from other countries
- SteveReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Brilliant book inspirational
Stevegreat book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2025
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