Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employee engagementLatest NewsWellbeingProductivityWorkplace culture

‘Conclusive link’ between happiness and productivity

by Rob Moss 17 Oct 2019
by Rob Moss 17 Oct 2019 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

It has long been suggested that happy workers are more productive, but now research from the University of Oxford has found that “causal  evidence” that happy workers are 13% more productive.

The researchers from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in collaboration with BT found happy workers do not work more hours but are more productive in their time.

The six-month project was conducted in BT contact centres by Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve from Saïd, George Ward from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Clement Bellet of Erasmus University Rotterdam and was presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics this morning.

“We found that when workers are happier, they work faster by making more calls per hour worked and, importantly, convert more calls to sales,” said Prof De Neve.

The authors state that while the link between happiness and productivity has often been discussed, their study provides the first causal field evidence for this relationship. “There has never been such strong evidence,” added Prof De Neve.

The researchers asked 1,793 BT workers across 11 UK call centres to rate their happiness on a weekly basis for six months using a simple email survey containing five emoji buttons representing states of happiness – from very sad to very happy. They also tracked data on attendance, call-to-sale conversions and customer satisfaction, along with each worker’s scheduled hours and breaks. The researchers collated this information alongside administrative data obtained from the firm on worker characteristics, work schedules and productivity.

The study – Does employee happiness have an impact on productivity? – also factored in local weather conditions and uncovered a clear negative relationship between adverse weather conditions and the happiness of the workers.

Recent research into the mood of the UK found that paid work is ranked near the bottom of activities that make the population happy. “There seems to be considerable room for improvement in the happiness of employees while they are at work,” said Prof De Neve. “While this clearly in the interest of workers themselves, our analysis suggests it is also in the interests of their employers.”

In their report the authors say that causal evidence on what determines happiness in the workplace is scarce, but correlational studies suggest a number of avenues – at varying levels of expense – where employers may seek to improve wellbeing.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Higher paid workers and those in secure jobs are generally happier,” they write, “for example, while those who find their job more interesting and meaningful also report higher wellbeing. Equally, workers who enjoy better work-life balance as well as better relationships with colleagues and managers also have higher levels of happiness.”

  Performance and Engagement opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more performance and engagement jobs

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
‘Thousands’ of Asda staff face dismissal if they don’t sign new contract
next post
Spanish supermarket covert surveillance did not violate human rights

You may also like

Workplace stress: Why it’s time to rebrand resilience

22 May 2025

Public sector needs 92,000 more workers to remain...

19 May 2025

Half of workers waste two hours a day...

6 May 2025

Hey HR, don’t blame it on the sunshine

2 May 2025

Google concerned by slow AI take-up in UK

25 Apr 2025

Four ways HR can maintain trust in uncertain...

23 Apr 2025

How to build a commercially-minded workforce

3 Apr 2025

Civil servants say three days in office reduces...

25 Feb 2025

How HR can help to rebuild routine

24 Feb 2025

How to find the perfect balance of accountability

31 Jan 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+