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Happiness at work

Author

Listed:
  • Jan-Emmanuel De Neve
  • George Ward

Abstract

Work-life balance is a particularly strong predictor of people's happiness. High degrees of job satisfaction can hide low levels of engagement at work. Happiness helps to shape job market outcomes, productivity and firm performance. And people in blue-collar jobs report lower happiness everywhere in the world. These are among the findings of research on the roles played by work, employment and joblessness in shaping our happiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & George Ward, 2017. "Happiness at work," CentrePiece - The magazine for economic performance 517, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepcnp:517
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Felix R. FitzRoy & Michael A. Nolan, 2020. "Education, income and happiness: panel evidence for the UK," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(5), pages 2573-2592, May.
    2. FitzRoy, Felix & Nolan, Michael A., 2020. "Towards Economic Democracy and Social Justice: Profit Sharing, Co-Determination, and Employee Ownership," IZA Discussion Papers 13238, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Wijngaards, Indy & Hendriks, Martijn & Burger, Martijn J., 2019. "Steering towards happiness: An experience sampling study on the determinants of happiness of truck drivers," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 131-148.
    4. Clément S. Bellet & Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & George Ward, 2019. "Does employee happiness have an impact on productivity?," CEP Discussion Papers dp1655, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. C. P. Barrington-Leigh & Katja Lemermeyer, 2023. "A Public, Open, and Independently-Curated Database of Happiness Coefficients," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1505-1531, April.
    6. Erman Çakıt & Waldemar Karwowski & Tadeusz Marek & Magdalena Jaworek & Grzegorz Wrobel, 2020. "A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationships between Work-Related Affective Feelings Expressed by Workers in Turkey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Rose, Damaris & Stavrova, Olga, 2019. "Does life satisfaction predict reemployment? Evidence form German panel data," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1-11.
    8. Nikolova, Milena, 2018. "Self-Employment Can Be Good for Your Health," GLO Discussion Paper Series 226, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Binder, Martin & Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin, 2021. "Self-employment and subjective well-being," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 411, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    10. Santiago Lago-Peñas & Elena Rivo-López & Alberto Vaquero-García & Mónica Villanueva-Villar, 2018. "Do family firms contribute to job stability? Evidence from the great recession," Working Papers. Collection C: Family business 1801, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    11. Sebastjan Škerlič & Vanja Erčulj, 2021. "The Impact of Financial and Non-Financial Work Incentives on the Safety Behavior of Heavy Truck Drivers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-14, March.
    12. Retno Dwiyanti & Elfrida Khoerunnisa, 2021. "Job Satisfaction, Spirituality, And Happiness Of The Employee Of Correctional Institution," Social Values & Society (SVS), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 3(1), pages 40-43, August.
    13. Mikael Nordenmark & Bodil J. Landstad & Åsa Tjulin & Stig Vinberg, 2023. "Life Satisfaction among Self-Employed People in Different Welfare Regimes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Significance of Household Finances and Concerns about Work," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-13, March.
    14. Noel Semple, 2021. "Good Enough for Government Work? Life-Evaluation and Public Policy," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1119-1140, March.
    15. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & Christian Krekel & George Ward, 2019. "Employee wellbeing, productivity and firm performance," CEP Discussion Papers dp1605, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    16. Beja, Edsel Jr., 2016. "Subjective Well-Being Approach to Valuing Unemployment: Direct and Indirect Cost," MPRA Paper 101080, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Clark, Andrew E. & Kozák, Michal, 2023. "Twenty Years of Job Quality in OECD Countries: More Good News?," IZA Discussion Papers 16597, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    subjective wellbeing; employment; job type; job characteristics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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