'Growing gap' | The results are in: managers getting happier as employee wellbeing plummets

A comprehensive study from the Human Capital Development Lab at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School shows that American workers are recording their lowest wellbeing scores, extending a downward trend that began after the first year of the pandemic.

The analysis builds on annual survey data collected between 2019 and 2023, which had already revealed that many employers pulled back on supportive environments once the immediate crisis abated.

Some 2,769 organizations and more than 1.3 million employees were represented in the latest research, providing what the authors describe as the clearest picture yet of shifting workplace sentiment. According to the findings, wellbeing peaked in 2020 before declining steadily in each subsequent year.

The report says that several forces may be at play, and says that lower scores may stem from reduced scheduling flexibility, fewer remote-work opportunities, and pressure from economic conditions tied to inflation and productivity demands.