Friends not money are the most important factor in employee happiness, according to research by HR consultancy Chiumento.

It found women (82%) are happier at work than men (78%), because they feel more job satisfaction. Overall lack of communication from the top was cited by around half of respondents as being the main cause of unhappiness in the workplace.

Chief executive Sarah Chiumento says: “Organisations might question the relevance of employees happiness but a happy employee is likely to be more productive and perform better than an unhappy employee.”

The research found that employers aged over 55 are the happiest and those in their 40’s are the least happy.
It found happiness declines the longer people stay with an organisation.