Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy
21 Nov 2025
---
Data from 7,500 companies shows that happier employees outperform the market. Harvard professor @drarthurbrooks explains what actually drives workplace happiness.

Sign up to receive Arthur’s new six-week newsletter "The Leader’s Happiness Reset" here: https://s.hbr.org/49XFIlg

Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy 21 Nov 2025 --- Data from 7,500 companies shows that happier employees outperform the market. Harvard professor @drarthurbrooks explains what actually drives workplace happiness. Sign up to receive Arthur’s new six-week newsletter "The Leader’s Happiness Reset" here: https://s.hbr.org/49XFIlg

Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy

At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. We try to arm our readers with ideas that help them become smarter, more creative, and more courageous in their work. 

We encourage comments, critiques, and questions. We expect our community to be a safe space for respectful, constructive, and thought-provoking discussion. We reserve the right to remove or turn off comments at our discretion. We do not tolerate bullying, name-calling, or abusive language related to identity, including race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, age, or region; spam; copyright violation; extreme profanity; or p*rnography.

Business

Education

Careers

At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. We try to arm our readers with ideas that help them become smarter, more creative, and more courageous in their work. We encourage comments, critiques, and questions. We expect our community to be a safe space for respectful, constructive, and thought-provoking discussion. We reserve the right to remove or turn off comments at our discretion. We do not tolerate bullying, name-calling, or abusive language related to identity, including race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, age, or region; spam; copyright violation; extreme profanity; or p*rnography.

Share Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy

Sign up to save your podcasts

Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy

Forget Perks—Here's What Makes Employees Happy