How to Measure Employee Happiness: Proven Strategies, Methods and Tools

Today employee happiness has become more than just a feel-good concept—it’s a crucial driver of organizational success. Businesses that prioritize happiness in the workplace consistently report better performance, higher retention, and increased innovation.  

But here's the challenge: while companies understand its importance, many still struggle with how to measure employee happiness effectively and implement actionable improvements.  

With workplace happiness influencing everything from engagement to productivity, it’s time to decode what truly makes employees happy and explore proven strategies to both measure employee happiness and nurture it sustainably.

In this guide, we will walk you through measuring employee happiness, using tools like employee happiness surveys and the employee happiness index, and show how organizations can turn these insights into meaningful change. 

What is employee happiness? 

Kebahagiaan pekerja menandakan kepuasan keseluruhan dan kebetulan jangkaan dari kerja dengan persepsi sebenar.  

Employees' happiness lies at the intersection of involvement and satisfaction. This is a quality of employee experience that is higher than employee satisfaction. It is one of the building blocks for attracting employees. Let's look at this question in more detail! 

Satisfied employees 😌 perform well in their roles and have few complaints, but they can still explore other opportunities if presented with the options. The employees involved, in turn, regularly do more in their tasks than is usually required. They personally invest in the development of the company.  

Loyalty to the business of such employees is very high. To reach this level, the organization needs the happiness of employees. 

Employee happiness vs. job satisfaction 

Employee happiness has tended to be talked about much less than job satisfaction in the business world. Therefore, there might be some confusion between these terms.

Besides, a comparable rarity of the term 'employee happiness' makes it seem like something difficult or impossible to achieve. However, this is not quite true. 

Perkara pertama yang pertama, mari kita gariskan garis antara kepuasan kerja dan kebahagiaan pekerja sekali dan untuk semua. 

Employee happiness is often described as a constant positive attitude towards one's work. Besides, employee happiness also finds its representation in a strong motivation to solve problems rather than complain, willingly accept constructive criticism and improve one's knowledge and skills. 
 
Satisfaction, as it is, means fulfillment and enjoyment a person drives from something. Job satisfaction, in its turn, is a measure of employee contentment with the job. This implies that the employees are satisfied at work as the work meets the expectations. 

Ciri tersendiri utama antara kedua-dua tanggapan ini agak jelas; Walau bagaimanapun, mereka sering disalahpahami oleh majikan: 

• Kepuasan sentiasa hasil daripada sesuatu yang dipenuhi - tugas yang lengkap atau pencapaian yang dicapai. Sebaliknya, kebahagiaan adalah keadaan yang lebih kekal yang berkembang secara beransur-ansur. 
• Nampaknya kepuasan kerja pekerja dikawal terutamanya oleh majikan kerana sebahagian besarnya bergantung kepada ganjaran, pengiktirafan, dan keseimbangan kerja-kehidupan. Walaupun kebahagiaan pekerja bergantung kepada pekerja sendiri. 
• Studies proved that happy employees are 13% more productive. At the same time, there is very little correlation between job satisfaction and productivity; 
• Kebahagiaan di tempat kerja sentiasa menjadi tanggapan yang lebih luas yang merangkumi penuh tenaga, terlibat, komited, dan, yang lebih penting, berpuas hati. 

Terdapat beratus-ratus nombor dalam banyak long, laporan yang didokumenkan dengan teliti yang cuba mensintesis sisi paling praktikal dan konkrit kebahagiaan dan penglibatan pekerja. Walau bagaimanapun, tiada definisi hitam dan putih di sini. 

Walaupun terdapat kekaburan istilah, syarikat dan majikan dapat menjelaskan keadaan dengan mengumpul dan menggabungkan sains tingkah laku manusia yang dapat memberi lebih banyak penerangan tentang "mengapa" dan "bagaimana" kebahagiaan berfungsi untuk pekerja mereka khususnya. 

Ways to create happiness in the workplace 

Buat pekerja, jualan, saluran, rangkaian, dan pasukan lanjutan anda gembira dengan tiga strategi hebat ini. 

1. Memotivasi kedua-dua luaran dan dalaman 

‘Happiness Advantage’ author Shawn Achor describes happiness as “the joy we feel when striving for our potential.” This is squarely the preserve of intrinsic motivation - the inner impulses, talents, and passions that define our personalities and push us to chase targets that are often deeply personal. 

Autonomi (kebebasan untuk berfikir-kerja-menjadi), penguasaan ke atas domain atau kemahiran yang diminati, dan tujuan atau arah yang menyeluruh dalam kehidupan adalah tiga motivasi intrinsik utama dalam kebanyakan manusia. 

Matlamat intrinsik biasanya bertindak sebagai ganjaran mereka, jadi untuk bercakap, dan kami mengejar mereka semata-mata untuk kepuasan yang mereka bawa kepada kami, tanpa terlalu peduli dengan 'apa yang difikirkan oleh orang lain'. Penyelidikan telah menunjukkan kepada kita bagaimana motif intrinsik boleh menjadi 3X yang lebih berkesan terhadap tahap penglibatan pekerja daripada motif ekstrinsik. 

Ini menjadikan 'pencetus yang didorong sendiri untuk mencapai tahap kecemerlangan yang tinggi' alat yang sangat kuat dan sebahagian besarnya belum diterokai untuk perniagaan apabila ia perlu naik ante dan melompat ke wilayah yang tidak diketahui tanpa keutamaan atau penanda aras untuk bimbingan. 

Pemimpin bijak membenarkan individu 'bilik' untuk melompat itu. Mereka menyelaraskan tempat kerja dan model insentif mereka untuk memastikan pertindihan maksimum antara pemandu intrinsik individu dan matlamat perniagaan yang lebih besar untuk menjana yang terakhir. 

According to a McKinsey study, intrinsically motivated employees exhibit 46% higher levels of job satisfaction and 32% greater levels of commitment to their jobs. 

Walaupun begitu, tidak ada yang menjauhkan diri dari fakta bahawa wang lama yang baik terus 'membeli kebahagiaan' setiap hari untuk majoriti kita. Motivasi luaran (ekstrinsik) seperti wang tunai, harga sosial, dan kelonggaran materialistik - kekal sebagai pemacu malar hijau tingkah laku 'menguntungkan' dan peranti kegemaran para pemimpin untuk memohon dan memberi insentif kepada kuasa rakyat. 

2. Ganjaran serta-merta dan tidak dapat dilupakan 

Peningkatan pendapatan tahunan adalah tiga kali lebih tinggi dalam pasukan dengan sistem insentif yang boleh diukur berbanding rakan sejawat tanpa model motivasi yang sama. 

There’s an ancient saying, “Pay the worker his dues before his sweat has dried up.” Mankind has known for ages that the joy of a reward is greatest when it exchanges hands quickly. The longer the delay, the more is lost–especially from the giver's perspective. 

Bendera moral, momentum berkurangan, kekecewaan ditetapkan. Pemimpin dibiarkan dengan sedikit berharga untuk menunjukkan semua kerja cemerlang yang dilakukan dalam latihan, menarik, dan memberi insentif. Sebaliknya adalah sama benar. 

 Memastikan ganjaran anda adalah serta-merta, setimpal (iaitu, mengukur sehingga magnitud pencapaian), dan diperibadikan (bergema dengan persona dan senarai keinginan penerima) boleh menjadi hack yang mudah dan berkuasa untuk mendapatkan yang terbaik daripada pekerja. 

3. Reka bentuk tempat kerja yang bersambung 

Salib criss-cross yang bersemangat bercakap kecil dan maklum balas penting. Pertukaran idea dan petua yang mengalir bebas. Kebogelan intuitif dan amaran daripada rakan sebaya. Pintu dan tingkap kesyukuran dikongsi dengan berhati-hati dan secara terbuka menjadikan hari kerja dengan hangat bermanfaat. 

Pekerja, saluran, dan pasukan lanjutan membangkitkan jenama itu di media sosial. Kelekatan pekerja setia diterjemahkan kepada attrition pasukan rendah. 'Kisah orang' yang menjadi viral mencipta jenis buzz 'Awesome Place To Work'. Budaya ganjaran melangkaui 'wang tunai bukan peribadi' dengan gerak isyarat yang lebih diingati. 

Aliran kerja yang benar-benar disambungkan tidak sukar untuk dilihat seperti kebahagiaan yang mereka hasilkan, yang mudah dikesan. 

Amongst features that create an emotionally fulfilling place of work, according to this report, are: 

• Mempunyai gambaran yang jelas tentang perjalanan perniagaan. 
• Dihargai untuk pendapat dan kemahiran seseorang. 
• Penghargaan - dalam bentuk pengiktirafan dan ganjaran - yang membalas sumbangan dan pencapaian. 

Walau bagaimanapun, perlu diingat bahawa untuk meraih sihir, anda perlu melakukan usaha tetap untuk membenamkan dan menginstitusikan 'rasa kekitaan itu' ke dalam serat budaya dan DNA tempat kerja anda. 

4. Prioritize work-life balance 

To start increasing the level of employee happiness, it is worth improving the balance between work and personal life because tired employees are more likely to become unmotivated and burn out faster.

Unfortunately, an imbalance between the workplace and personal life has a destructive outcome for the employees and considerable financial losses for the employers. Higher employee turnover reduced productivity, and low engagement levels, are just a few of the results unsuitable both for businesses and employees themselves. 

According to Inc, unfortunately, 66% of full-time employees in America do not have a work-life balance, in contrast to an astonishing 84% of freelancers who are happy with their lifestyle. 

5. Be transparent and honest 

Untuk membina budaya korporat yang kukuh, anda memerlukan kepercayaan dalam syarikat. Pekerja ingin tahu bahawa pemimpin mereka adalah orang yang memahami masalah mereka kerana mereka juga telah mengalami atau terus mengalaminya. 

When leaders are honest and open to their employees, there is sincere and genuine communication and complete trust. Unfortunately, a recent Interact/Harris Poll proved that 91% of employees believe their leaders to have at least some kind of communication skills lack.

Besides, one more vital factor to consider is a lack of trust. The Edelman Trust Barometer showed that 1 in 3 employees doesn’t trust their employers, while others have minor trust issues. 

6. Buat persekitaran kerja yang positif 

Apabila pekerja bekerja sebagai satu pasukan yang diselaraskan dengan baik, berusaha untuk matlamat bersama yang tinggi, syarikat maju, berkembang lebih kuat, dan makmur. Walau bagaimanapun, anggap pekerja mudah marah, bermusuhan antara satu sama lain, sering konflik, dan tidak mahu melabur usaha dalam mencapai matlamat bersama. Dalam kes itu, ini tidak dapat dielakkan mempengaruhi keputusan dan memburukkan KPI syarikat. 

According to the evidence gained in course of major long-term study, companies with the best corporate cultures grew 682 percent in revenue. Typically, for these companies, encouragement of all-around leadership initiatives and high appreciation of their employees, and owners, are key elements of the corporate culture. Furthermore, the recipe is quite simple - use recognition and rewards to highlight people who display the right behaviors, actions, and performance. 

7. Foster a culture of gratitude 

You can boost employee morale by showing them how valuable their efforts are to you through words and actions of gratitude. After all, even small things like that can make a big difference to your employees. 

Unfortunately, according to a Gallup poll, only 14 % of employees worldwide are engaged at work. The remaining 86 % don’t feel valued or appreciated and don’t feel that their work is recognized. 

8. Offer benefits beyond the basics 

Many businesses offer employee benefits, and many employees expect them to reward employees with more than just money. Of course, few people will refuse a salary increase. But not all problems can be solved with money, especially regarding physical and mental well-being. In this case, an alternative solution will work much better. 

When an employee does a good job, you can reward them with additional vacation, tickets for concerts or sports matches, or gift certificates. Thus, according to a recent survey, 79% of millennials regard an increase in rewards as a factor that would increase their loyalty to an employer to some extent. 

Oleh itu, program faedah yang baik membantu anda menarik dan mengekalkan pekerja terbaik, membawa kepada pekerja yang lebih bahagia dan produktif, dan akhirnya dapat membantu perniagaan anda berkembang maju. 

9. Empower professional growth 

Employees want to learn, evolve, and feel that they are progressing. Offering clear career paths, access to training, mentorship programs, and stretch projects keeps teams inspired. 

A lack of growth opportunities is one of the top reasons people leave jobs. Investing in development helps both retention and workplace happiness, while also giving clear metrics to measure employee happiness through satisfaction scores and career progression tracking. 

10. Support mental health and well-being 

Modern employees expect more than just gym discounts—they want real mental health support. Counseling access, stress management workshops, and digital wellness apps can create lasting change. 

Happier employees take fewer sick days and remain more productive. 

11. Conduct regular employee happiness surveys 

You can't improve what you don't measure. Regular employee happiness surveys provide quantifiable insights into how employees feel, what motivates them, and where to improve. 

These tools offer direct ways to track the employee happiness index, enabling data-backed changes that reflect real employee sentiment. It's one of the most effective answers to the question: how to measure employee happiness. 

12. Recognize purpose-driven work 

When people understand how their efforts contribute to the bigger picture, their sense of purpose grows—and with it, their happiness. 

Leaders should communicate how individual roles align with company impact, especially in mission-driven industries. This alignment not only uplifts morale but serves as a strong parameter to measure employee happiness based on engagement levels. 

13. Facilitate meaningful one-on-ones 

One-on-one meetings shouldn't be checklist routines. Instead, make them spaces for mentorship, feedback, and empathy. 

Consistent, meaningful check-ins help employees feel heard, supported, and valued. When designed thoughtfully, they provide anecdotal insights into measuring employee happiness beyond traditional surveys. 

14. Celebrate milestones and achievements 

Birthdays, work anniversaries, and project completions deserve celebration. Recognizing these moments builds community and fosters pride. 

These celebrations can be tracked and personalized, offering both joy and touchpoints to measure employee happiness in ways that are emotionally significant and impactful. 

15. Encourage peer-to-peer recognition 

Recognition doesn’t have to come from the top down. Platforms that enable colleagues to praise one another create a culture of inclusion and support. Peer-to-peer recognition builds camaraderie and spreads positivity.  

Summary of key modules to use in Empuls: 

How to measure employee happiness while identifying unhappiness? 

How to measure the happiness of employees, then? This is the central question of all caring company leaders. Foremost, measuring happiness at work can be pretty tricky, but it is essential always to keep trying. Over time, it will become clear what indicators of employee happiness are worth paying attention to. This will make the process more intuitive and easier. 

Berikut adalah kaedah dan pendekatan terbaik untuk mengukur kebahagiaan di tempat kerja. 

1. Tinjauan kebahagiaan pekerja 

Special surveys can be used to identify the level of happiness of employees. They can also be used to assess the level of employee satisfaction with their role and their level of involvement in the company and overall well-being.

After collecting data with their help, it is easy to identify any potential problems and critical areas for improving the condition of employees. 

Since employees may change periodically, such employee happiness and engagement surveys should be conducted regularly. Alternatively, you can send surveys throughout the company several times a year. For more accurate results, combining the survey with other methods of measuring happiness is recommended. 

2. Peluang maklum balas pekerja tanpa nama 

Seeking your employees' feedback is essential for efficient business functioning. Unfortunately, according to recent research, 36% of employees work at a company that doesn't have a feedback program in place, while 37% report that their workplace either doesn't have an open-door policy or it has one, but it isn't working properly. 

Ini menyukarkan pekerja untuk mengemukakan maklum balas mereka kepada kepimpinan dan membuat mereka berfikir pendapat mereka tidak dihargai. Kebahagiaan pekerja dikaitkan dengan rasa penting dan berguna di tempat kerja mereka. 

Furthermore, the ultimate aim of any employee feedback is for an employer to discover the state of their workplace culture and where they're succeeding or failing in terms of engagement and morale. 

3. Maklum balas 1-on-1 dan 2 hala yang kerap 

One-on-one interviews and performance tests help contextualize your employees' responses to surveys. With the help of interviews, you can get good employee feedback. According to SHRM research, peer-to-peer recognition is 35.7% more likely to impact financial results than manager-only recognition positively. Still, a personal conversation with each of them has additional benefits in the fight for colleagues' happiness. 

Adalah optimum untuk mengadakan perbualan sedemikian setiap dua minggu. Sudah tentu, untuk mengetepikan masa untuk ini, anda harus menyemak jadual kerja anda, tetapi contoh perbualan selama 30 minit boleh menjadi permulaan yang baik. 

4. Pemeriksaan prestasi pekerja 

Tindakan pekerja bercakap lebih kuat daripada kata-kata. Kadang-kadang walaupun tinjauan tanpa nama tidak akan memberitahu anda keseluruhan kebenaran. Cara yang lebih bermaklumat untuk mengetahui sama ada pekerja telah terbakar adalah untuk memeriksa sejauh mana prestasi semua orang yang konsisten, ketidakhadiran, pengekalan, atau perolehan kakitangan, serta pengambilan data dan reputasi keseluruhan syarikat. 

Juga, gunakan sebarang metrik yang anda miliki, seperti prestasi, kualiti kerja, kesilapan, dan kelajuan penyiapan dan penyiapan projek. Pada tahap yang lebih tinggi, tahap kebahagiaan pekerja menunjukkan rendaman yang mendalam dalam produktiviti di peringkat individu masing-masing. 

5. Pemantauan kesihatan pekerja 

Salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi kebahagiaan pekerja adalah tekanan. Setiap pengurus mesti melabur dalam kesihatan pekerja mereka supaya mereka tidak meraih akibat keletihan dan tahap kebahagiaan yang rendah pada masa akan datang. 

According to recent research, 79% of American employers carefully provide health programs to their employees. However, employees must have the necessary resources to care for their well-being. This is one aspect of increasing staff retention. 

When interviewing employees about their health, you should ask them to assess their condition. Employees' productivity and well-being help form a stable, engaged, and hard-working workforce. 

6. Pekerja tinggal dan keluar perbualan 

Pengurus dan majikan terbaik tidak hanya berdiam diri melihat pekerja mereka berjalan keluar dari pintu tetapi secara proaktif bercakap dan membincangkan apa yang bekerja di syarikat mereka dan apa yang tidak. 

Tinjauan menunjukkan bahawa sebab nombor satu cuti pekerja bukanlah kerja dan, atau tidak juga gaji, tetapi hubungan pekerja dengan penyelia dan rakan sekerja mereka. Oleh itu, kos membina hubungan yang sihat di tempat kerja nampaknya tidak ada apa-apa berbanding dengan kos perolehan apabila pekerja berbakat meninggalkan. 

Salah satu kesilapan terbesar yang sering dilakukan oleh pemimpin adalah menganggap bahawa kerana ahli pasukan tidak mengadu, mereka gembira di tempat kerja. Sudah tentu, bertanya tentang kebahagiaan semasa perbualan tinggal atau keluar mungkin kelihatan menyedihkan. Namun, ia boleh dan akan membuat perbezaan dalam hubungan anda dengan seluruh krew dan pekerja masa depan. 

“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” Here are the top tools and techniques to measure happiness at work: 

Empower employee engagement with Empuls: Your all-in-one solution 

Empuls is an AI-powered, all-in-one employee engagement platform that helps organizations connect, recognize, and support their workforce across the entire employee lifecycle. 

1. Connect employees to your company’s culture and vision 

Empuls makes it easy to align teams with business goals through a modern social intranet that promotes inclusive, transparent communication. Share updates, celebrate wins, and foster a sense of belonging with: 

• Townhall pages, polls, and announcements 
• Community and hobby groups 
• Wishboards for birthdays, milestones, and service anniversaries 
• Interactive content like GIFs, hi-fives, and AMAs 

2. Listen to employees and take meaningful action 

Empuls provides powerful employee listening tools, including: 

• eNPS and pulse surveys to measure engagement levels 
• Lifecycle surveys for key moments like onboarding and exit 
• 360° feedback for candid peer and manager evaluations 
• AI-powered analytics to help HR and leaders make data-driven decisions 

Use these insights to build a people-first culture and improve workplace experience. 

3. Recognize and reward in the moments that matter 

Empuls turns everyday accomplishments into moments of recognition. With automated workflows and smart nudges from Em, the AI assistant, managers and peers can: 

• Send in-the-moment recognitions 
• Celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, and milestones 
• Launch structured reward programs—spot awards, jury-based, or peer-to-peer 
• Manage budgets and rewards centrally 

With a global catalog of 1M+ reward options—from gift cards and experiences to Amazon merchandise and charity donations—there’s something for everyone. 

4. Elevate employee well-being with perks and benefits 

Empuls goes beyond rewards by offering comprehensive wellness and financial support: 

• Exclusive discounts from over 6,000 brands across 50+ countries 
• Flexible fringe benefits (LSA) for meals, travel, wellness, remote work, and upskilling 
• Tax-saving allowances for fuel, telecom, and books 
• Early access to earned wages to ease financial stress 

These offerings help employees live better—without adding to your payroll costs. 

Empuls is quick to implement, integrates with your existing HR and collaboration tools, and can be fully white-labeled to reflect your brand. Join 1,000+ companies and 1M+ employees already leveraging Empuls to create exceptional workplaces.