National Work Happiness Score a fascinating look
The ADP Canada Happiness@work Index, is a new monthly measure that examines the happiness of Canadians in the workplace, including employees and self-employed individuals.
Conducted in collaboration with Maru Public Opinion, the Index explores workplace satisfaction across Canada, expressed as a score out of 10, and tracks positive or negative changes over time.
The National Work Happiness Score for March 2023 is 6.7/10, consistent with the average benchmark collected between November 2022 and February 2023.
“We spend a significant portion of our lives at work or thinking about work, so happiness in the workplace is paramount to our overall wellbeing,” says Holger Kormann, President, ADP Canada.
“Not only are happy workers typically more productive, engaged and successful, but a workplace environment that is conducive to happiness can positively impact other important aspects of our lives.”
The Index includes a primary indicator, Canadian workers’ self-reported sentiment of happiness in their current role and responsibilities, and four secondary indicators identified to be common components of workplace happiness: (1) Work-life Balance & Flexibility, (2) Compensation & Benefits, (3) Recognition & Support ( from management and colleagues) and (4) Options for Career Advancement.
Primary and secondary indicators are averaged and weighted to calculate the National Work Happiness Score, along with Regional Work Happiness Scores.
March 2023 Happiness@work Index Highlights
- National Work Happiness Score: 6.7/10
- Indicator Breakdown
- Primary Indicator: 7.0/10 (+0.1) *
- Secondary Indicators:
- Work-life Balance and Flexibility: 6.8/10
- Compensation and Benefits: 6.2/10
- Recognition and Support: 6.6/10
- Opportunities for Career Advancement: 6.1/10 (+0.1) *
The March Index reveals that the primary indicator of worker happiness is 7.0, an increase from February (6.8/10). Close to half (46%) of working Canadians report feeling very happy with their current role and responsibilities.
Work-life balance and recognition are the top secondary drivers of workers’ happiness. Although opportunities for career advancement remains the lowest score among secondary indicators, March reports a higher score than the winter months.
“The Happiness@work Indexis part of ADP Canada’s commitment to uncover key trends impacting the world of work and to help companies understand the changing needs of their employees,” continues Kormann. “Over time, the Index data is intended to be a reference source, documenting the evolution of worker sentiments in workplaces across the country.”
The March Index also reveals Canadian workers across generations and regions do not report feeling the same about satisfaction in the workplace:
National Work Happiness Score: Generational Snapshot
Boomers (56-75): 7.3/10 Gen-z (18-24): 6.8/10 Millennials (25-40): 6.7/10 Gen-x (41-55): 6.6/10
Regional Work Happiness Score Snapshot
Québec: 7/10
British Columbia: 6.9/10 Alberta: 6.8/10
Atlantic Canada: 6.7/10
Sask/manitoba: 6.7/10
Ontario: 6.5/10
The results are weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Québec, language) to match the population, according to Census data.
This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/-2.8%, 19 times out of 20.