Organizations with strong reputations often share common characteristics.
The company’s reputation is more than a glossy marketing campaign or sophisticated mission statement. It starts with people inside. When engagement is high, the energy will flow outward, promoting better customer service, strengthening brand loyalty and helping businesses avoid PR nightmares.
To learn what’s really needed to create such an employee experience, we spoke with Jennifer McClure, a former HR executive and executive recruiter who currently works as a speaker focused on the future of work, innovative people strategy and impactful leadership.
What is happiness at work?
Happiness at work is rarely a flip in the hallway or wearing a big smile all the time, explains McClure. Instead, for many happy employees, it is often to enjoy the work you are doing.
You might think to yourself: “I’m still enjoying my job, and this is a problem, and now I’m unhappy and not working,” she says.
How can companies develop happiness at work?
How businesses treat people can make all the difference in whether employees feel motivated, valued and satisfied with their work environment. Below are four ways businesses can promote employee satisfaction:
1. Create meaning
It is one of the most powerful ways to increase employee engagement, and the company’s reputation is to help employees see the impact of their work.
“The most important thing you can do as a leader is to create meaning in the workplace,” says McClure. “And for me, it makes me happy — if people feel worthy.”
Employees may recognize the feeling when they appear and feel valuable. She explains that the work they do is important and that affects others.
“You put your employees first. If you take care of them, they will take care of you, then your customers will come back and your shareholders will really unite,” said Herb Kelleher, founder and chairman of Southwest.
Leaders can create a sense of meaning by clearly linking employees’ daily tasks to the larger organizational purpose and showing how each contribution makes a difference.
2. Live your core values
The core value of a company is not just the words on its website. They should guide their actions, shape workplace culture and live each day.
For example, if a company says it values providing exceptional service to its customers, its value should be modeled by leadership. When employees see leaders living these values, it strengthens their importance and strengthens engagement, employee morale, and company reputation.
“When you lean on your core values and purpose, that means a lot to people,” explains McClure. They feel they have chosen to join the company because they feel they believe in the mission or believe in their work.
That alignment doesn’t just drive engagement. It also affects the way employees talk about the company publicly and personally.
“Because if your culture is really rooted and it works and people match the values and culture you have, they are the experience when others ask about the company.
3. Please listen for feedback
When building a happier culture in the workplace, it is important to listen to both positive and negative feedback. People take them to sites like Glassdoor and Tiktok and review the companies they have worked for.
“Unfortunate employees aren’t the only people who write reviews on these sites,” says McClure.
If negative reviews are consistent, she says, “If people are talking about long working hours, if there’s no work-life balance or not being treated, that’s the way people feel in your company.”
That doesn’t mean that all negative comments are automatic red flags. McClure noted that it is important to weigh feedback in context, as not all reviews reflect the broader employee experience.
“If you go to Glassdoor and see hundreds of reviews from employees, former employees, or people who interviewed the company, they share positive experiences and then read 10 Share negative experiences.
Still, if someone’s experience is negative and feels compelled to post about it online, then that signal leadership should take it seriously.
4. Check in using a one-on-one meeting
Another opportunity to strengthen culture and happiness in the workplace is through one-on-one meetings. These check-ins are your chance for managers to see how employees are actually doing. Not just work, but overall experience.
McClure suggests asking employees. “Are you not asking about something we’re not talking about or whether it bothers you, whether it needs to be looked into, or that needs to be addressed?”
She explained that managers should actively look for the challenges their employees are facing.
“It’s great that they come and say everything is great, I have a one-on-one that says I achieve all the goals and say you’re a great manager. But we should ask them what’s not working,” she explains.
McClure also recommends questions that open up the door to constructive feedback. As a manager, I would like to give employees a magic wand and what will you change about your work, my leadership, our company?
Asking thoughtful, open-ended questions on one-on-one allows managers to move beyond surface-level check-in and reveal what employees really need to thrive.
At the end of the day, the happiest workplace is built on core values, meaningful work, and the foundations that drive feedback, namely employee satisfaction and company success.
What is USA Today Top Workplaces 2025?
Do you work for a great company? Each year, USA Today Top Workplaces is a collaboration between Energage and USA Today, ranking US organizations that excel at creating positive work environments for their employees. Employee feedback determines the winner.
In 2025, over 1,500 companies were recognized as the best workplaces. Check out our overall rankings. You can also get more insight into workplace trends and advice by checking out the links below.
