EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
How can employers improve the wellbeing and prosperity of their workers?
A good work-life balance, feeling valued and feeling adequately compensated are the top three things that enable people to achieve a good level of wellbeing at work.
82% of people worldwide say that feeling valued at work and having a good work-life balance are key to wellbeing at work
But less than two-thirds say they experience these things
76% of people on above-average incomes say they have a good work-life balance, compared with just 54% of those on below-average incomes
37% of people with a physical disability feel valued at work, compared with 62% of people overall
82% of people worldwide say that feeling valued at work and having a good work-life balance are key to wellbeing at work
But less than two-thirds say they experience these things
76% of people on above-average incomes say they have a good work-life balance, compared with just 54% of those on below-average incomes
37% of people with a physical disability feel valued at work, compared with 62% of people overall
Psychologically safe workplaces create a wealth of possibilities
The pandemic brought about new ways of working, as well as altering many long-term trends in the labour market. Having a ‘career for life’ is evidently now considered a much lower priority than it would have been a few years ago.
The issue of job security has been overtaken by other considerations; for example, 82% regard feeling valued at work and striking an appropriate work-life balance as important, while 74% say that having a job with progression opportunities is important.
“If employees feel psychologically safe at work, this creates a space where they feel they can add value. If you get that right, it's good for the human being in terms of their happiness and wellbeing, and it's also good for the business because people aren't hiding great ideas.”
Those aged 18 to 25 are more likely to have access to meaningful work that they enjoy and access to high-quality and affordable education. This could reflect findings that the younger generation are increasingly looking for employment that aligns with their values and that makes a positive difference.1
Psychologically safe workplaces create a wealth of possibilities
The pandemic brought about new ways of working, as well as altering many long-term trends in the labour market. Having a ‘career for life’ is evidently now considered a much lower priority than it would have been a few years ago.
The issue of job security has been overtaken by other considerations; for example, 82% regard feeling valued at work and striking an appropriate work-life balance as important, while 74% say that having a job with progression opportunities is important.
Those aged 18 to 25 are more likely to have access to meaningful work that they enjoy and access to high-quality and affordable education. This could reflect findings that the younger generation are increasingly looking for employment that aligns with their values and that makes a positive difference.1
“If employees feel psychologically safe at work, this creates a space where they feel they can add value. If you get that right, it's good for the human being in terms of their happiness and wellbeing, and it's also good for the business because people aren't hiding great ideas.”
Work-life balance and feeling valued are more important than job security and progression
How important are these factors to wellbeing in your professional/academic life, and to what extent do you have them?
A satisfactory work-life balance
82%
64%
Feeling valued for your work
82%
62%
Feeling adequately compensated for your work
81%
57%
Having the right level of education / being able to achieve the right level of education
80%
67%
Having a safe and supportive workplace, which creates opportunities to connect with colleagues
78%
60%
Having a secure job (i.e. to not feel concerned about being made redundant / being laid off)
78%
60%
Having autonomy in your work
77%
63%
Having flexibility around when I work
76%
60%
Working for an ethical employer, that demonstrates care for employees and the wider community
76%
57%
Having the opportunity to be creative
76%
62%
Having the time and financial means to pursue professional/career development opportunities
75%
54%
Having a job with clear progression opportunities
74%
52%
Having flexibility around where I work
74%
58%
A satisfactory work-life balance
Feeling valued for your work
Feeling adequately compensated for your work
Having the right level of education / being able to achieve the right level of education
Having a safe and supportive workplace, which creates opportunities to connect with colleagues
Having a secure job (i.e. to not feel concerned about being made redundant / being laid off)
Having autonomy in your work
Having flexibility around when I work
Working for an ethical employer, that demonstrates care for employees and the wider community
Having the opportunity to be creative
Having the time and financial means to pursue professional/career development opportunities
Having the time and financial means to pursue professional/career development opportunities
Having a job with clear progression opportunities
Having flexibility around where I work
Explore further
What are the components of a good quality of life? Do people around the world have a good quality of life?
What should communities provide to improve citizens' wellbeing? Are some parts of society held back from participating in community life?
The findings across these three pillars point to some clear recommendations for how business leaders and policymakers can improve citizens’ prosperity and wellbeing – today and in the future.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in the Europe, North America and South America regions, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Santander aims to be the best open financial services platform providing services to individuals, SMEs, corporates, financial institutions and governments. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising €220 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2030. In the first half of 2023, Banco Santander had €1.25 trillion in total funds, 164 million customers, 9,000 branches and 212,000 employees. www.santander.com
The information presented throughout the site is the result of a survey of 17,000 people from 15 countries, carried out by FT Longitude. This site is hosted on the Foleon platform, and Foleon's cookie policy and privacy policy apply.