Employee engagement levels are notoriously low around the world, but whilst things such as poor pay, a lack of purpose and inadequate leadership are all commonly cited reasons, a new study from the Myers-Briggs Company suggests our colleagues should shoulder more of the blame.

The research analyzed over 10,000 people across 131 countries to compare workplace wellbeing, and its impact on things such as job satisfaction and commitment.  The research found that wellbeing tends to improve as we age, with 18-24 year olds suffering from the lowest wellbeing levels, and the over 65’s the highest.

The data also suggests there are some professions that make people happier than others.  Many of these involve some form of service-related work, with professions such as education and healthcare scoring particularly highly for engagement.

By contrast, those with lower levels of engagement typically involved more practical and physical tasks, including jobs such as production and food preparation.

Relationships are key

Interestingly, the most important contributing factor of wellbeing was found to be our relationships with colleagues at work, with meaning and accomplishments close behind.

Those workplaces with higher levels of wellbeing were then linked, perhaps unsurprisingly, with higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.  They also had higher incidences of citizenship behaviors, such as supporting co-workers.

“Research shows up to 80% of people in large companies aren’t engaged at work. This means huge losses in productivity,” the researchers say. “Improving employee well-being is crucial for improving engagement. The biggest lever you can pull to get started is fostering more productive workplace relationships.”

The data chimes with that from a study published a few years ago by Globoforce, which revealed that a workforce with strong personal bonds is an engaged and committed one.  Their Workforce Mood Tracker survey sampled 716 employees at reasonably large organizations to try and understand just how close the bond is between people and their colleagues, and what impact this has on their engagement and productivity levels.

The results suggest that the stronger the personal bonds between employees, the better things are.

“There is … a strong argument in this data for companies to be more thoughtful about the cultures they are creating,” the report said, “and to actively promote the development of work friendships and emotional connections among employees.”

Friendly workplaces

A study from a few years ago by Stanford researchers made the connection between social activity at work and general engagement levels.

“Working with others affords enormous social and personal benefits,” the researchers declare.  “Our research found that social cues that conveyed simply that other people treat you as though you are working together on a task – rather than that you are just as working on the same task but separately – can have striking effects on motivation.”

The question is, do you have to be sociable on a friendly level in order to be sociable on a professional level?

A study from the 90’s suggests the answer may be yes.  It found that camaraderie at work was key for happiness in both male and female employees.  What’s more, the mere opportunity for friendship was shown to increase both employee satisfaction and organizational effectiveness.

If you want a happy workplace therefore, the best bet might be to encourage friendships between colleagues.