The results from Indeed® company reviews indicate that stress and work-place happiness don’t go well together.
Included in Indeed company reviews is the Indeed Happiness Survey, just introduced in March 2020. This survey enables job seekers to find work environments where they will be the happiest. The survey asks participants to rate 14 categories (listed below) covering multiple aspects of work-life happiness at their current or former employer. Results are scored on a 100 pt. scale.
- Belonging
- Energy
- Appreciation
- Purpose
- Achievement
- Compensation
- Support
- Learning
- Inclusion
- Flexibility
- Trust
- Management
- Satisfaction (NEW)
- Stress-Free (NEW)
“I Don’t Feel Stressed Most of the Time”
Like many surveys, the question is the key to the survey result. There seems to be a bias in the question towards high stress. To answer the question positively means to deny the persistent presence of stress. The average score for stress is 54.5 out of 100. Not a single employer scores higher than 80 on this question and most employers score within a narrow range of 45 to 60. Put simply, there really isn’t a stress-free workplace. However employers can do much to reduce or even eliminate unproductive stress.
Stress is Correlated to Energy
Which happiness indicators are closely correlated with stress?
- Compensation has minimal correlation (.37) to stress. Employers don’t seem to compensate employees more for high stress environments.
- Employers use the term work-life balance extensively to describe a nice split between work and personal life. Surprisingly, there is minimal correlation (.38) with work-life balance (an Indeed standard rating).
- A “stress-free” environment is moderately correlated with overall satisfaction (.51).
- But the “stress-free” environment is most correlated to energy (..55) meaning low stress is equal to high energy. High stress saps positive energy. Low stress releases energy.
Low-Stress Company Environments
Not unsurprisingly, low stress environments are popular places to work. Rover.com and Care.Com, which provide a lot of flexibility, have low stress environments. But even high stress environments by nature can be positively affected by the employer. Delta for example has a much better than average stress-free score despite being in the airline industry. It stands out among its peers. In our “always on” culture, there is no avoiding stress. In fact, stress and energy go hand in hand. The key for employers is to avoid needless stress and foster a high energy environment to create happier work environments.
How Does Insight for Work Leverage Indeed Company Reviews?
Insight for Work comprehensive job market analysis integrates data from job postings, resumés, compensation surveys, labor market, population demographics, and Indeed company reviews. Leverage over 13 million employer ratings for comprehensive workplace satisfaction and employer branding analysis.
