Research from across the international evidence base - from an initial pool of over 4,000 studies - reveals which practical actions in the workplace are effective for improving wellbeing and performance - and which are not.

Studies have shown that job type or industry sector are not necessarily the defining factors of what makes a good job. Instead, things like how secure it is; our social connections; on-the-job learning opportunities; supportive organisations which offer flexi or part time working and clear responsibilities are just some of the elements seen by employees as more important.

When our roles changes, often as a result of a change of hierarchy or working patterns and our new role doesn’t offer the same structured environment, opportunities for progression, extra training and clearly defined responsibilities our life satisfaction drops. Even when we move out of unemployment and into work, how great the impact is on our wellbeing depends on the quality of the job.

The new research, carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Business School, reviewed studies of the practical actions organisations can take to maximise their chances of designing high quality jobs.

Only 28% of us in the UK are highly satisfied with our jobs, meaning that more than seven in 10 of us are not. Our happiest days are the weekends, and yet, estimates suggest that an adult in work spends an average of 57% of waking hours working.

Mark Bryan, Reader in Economics at University of Sheffield and co-author of the study recommends that policy-makers create incentives for employers to develop high quality work, as well as guidance on how to do so. They point to the Management Standards for Work-Related Stress issued by the Health and Safety Executive, and suggest adapting them to include the evidence-based actions outlined in the review.

The review also recommends helping older workers wind down into retirement with bridging jobs or reduce their working hours to avoid poor wellbeing. The study which looked at all the existing research showed part-time working towards the end of our careers improves life satisfaction.

However, the research highlights that this depends on whether employees had control over when they retired, rather than being forced out through ill health or restructuring. If people take up bridging jobs because of financial strain, their wellbeing drops.

The study also found that:

• the way we retire matters for our mental health and wellbeing
• leaving a more prestigious, satisfying job decreases your life satisfaction on retirement
• men seem struggle more when they retire if their wives are still working
• retirees who are satisfied with their home lives and had support networks fare better.

Good work is really important for our overall life satisfaction and how we retire also matters. When researchers have gone around the UK asking what quality of life looks like, the importance of wellbeing at work consistently comes up.

“Policy needs to reflect the changing patterns and ways of working, and how that impacts how, why and when we retire. A sudden shift from employed to retired isn’t working.”

Nancy Hey, director of the The What Works Centre says: “The evidence shows us that getting employees involved in designing their own job means listening to their needs, supporting their development and training them where appropriate. Organisations need to look at how embedded wellbeing is in their DNA, not only within one department or champion. We want to see more discussion in workplaces about what a quality job looks like in that company.”

Professor Kevin Daniels, who leads the team that completed the review, says “We’ve known for a long time what a good quality job looks like and the benefits good quality work has for wellbeing, mental health, physical health, and productivity. Our review adds to the evidence on what a good job quality is by pointing to some promising actions on how organisations can enhance the quality of work, wellbeing and performance.”

This article is taken from studies carried out by the University of Sheffield, the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Business School, and the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, an independent collaborative organisation that works to improve the wellbeing of people and communities year on year and works towards reducing inequalities. They believe that improving wellbeing should be the ultimate objective of policy and community action.