Workplace well-being declines as workers return to offices

As more workers are forced to return to the office and work remotely, research shows that workplace well-being is on the decline. The numbers are even lower for Black workers.

A brand new report from the Human Capital Development Lab at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in partnership with Great Place to Work reveals that workplace well-being peaked in 2020. But the annual survey of greater than 1.5 million people at greater than 2,500 corporations measured the “climate of well-being” and found According to reports, this number has been systematically decreasing since 2020.

The decline varied by industry and a few demographics. Healthcare and retail/hospitality corporations had the bottom scores, while black, women and younger workers scored lower on well-being than white, men and older workers. Southern workers scored higher on well-being than their counterparts.

“The COVID pandemic has heightened employers’ awareness of the importance of wellness, and many top organizations have been working to create a positive work climate,” said Michelle Barton, Ph.D., assistant professor at Carey and co-author of the report. “The challenge now will be to integrate these practices into everyday work life, rather than simply as a response to the crisis.”

The researchers used five criteria to measure each company’s “climate of well-being”: financial health, meaningful connections, mental and emotional support, personal support, and a way of purpose. Employers who put money into their employees’ well-being, each financial and emotional, scored higher.

Male workers consistently reported higher workplace well-being scores than female workers, reflecting a gender pay gap that widened in 2023 for the primary time since 2020. Meanwhile, Black workers had the worst well-being between 2021 and 2023 compared with white workers, who ranked first, and Asian workers, who were the one group whose well-being matched or exceeded that of white workers over the five-year period.

Black women had the worst overall well-being compared to Asian men, who had the best well-being scores and the biggest gap compared to women.

“These significant differences underscore the continued need for organizations to address issues of equity, inclusion and belonging for all employees,” the report said.

The report found a transparent positive correlation between flexible working and improved worker well-being. Companies where 75% or more of their employees could work remotely part-time had the best well-being scores, while those where lower than 25% of employees had distant work options had the bottom scores.

“For employees, flexibility provides the means to effectively manage work-life balance while meeting personal and family needs, such as childcare and eldercare,” the report says. “For employers, it can support higher levels of employee engagement and productivity, while also fostering an atmosphere of well-being.”