Here’s how happy Boston.com readers are at work — and why
"Pay, benefits, and work-life balance are decent, and the grass is always greener, so I’ve sucked it up for 18 years."
So it turns out that workers in Boston are … kind of happy?
Not thrilled, necessarily, but of the Boston.com readers who responded to our poll about work happiness, a full 30% placed themselves in the top tier — “pretty darn happy.” Yes, 23% rated themselves as “fairly miserable,” but all in all 46% finished in the more happy than not category, with 41% falling in the more negative category.
The rest, 13%, were sadly stuck in the middle — presumably happy enough to stick it out for the time being, but unhappy enough to start feeling queasy around 4 p.m. every Sunday afternoon.
You’ll recall that our poll was prompted by a recent survey by Comparably.com that declared HubSpot, a contact relationship management (CRM) software business in Cambridge, as the large company with the happiest employees in the country, and the Boston medical tech company OneStudyTeam the No. 2 happiest small company. It couldn’t help but make us wonder: Are happy employees really a thing?
Among at least some of our readers, it is. “I can see the impact I make with my work and I feel that I’m rewarded and praised for my work,” said Ann S. “In all, I feel appreciated for what I do with management believing in me and seeing my potential.”
And Brian H. said, “The reasons are nearly endless; a four-day work week every other week, a collaborative and supportive team, work-life balance and flexibility, a leadership that listens and engages with employees, and benefits that keep me stress-free when I’m facing a personal obstacle.” Jealous yet?
Unfortunately for the bottom 41%, not everybody was so happy in the workplace. “My company’s previous CEO was a maniac and ruined not only the culture, but our direction as a business,” lamented one reader. “Then he just up and quit and left us hanging. The place has been in utter chaos since then, on top of trying to undo what the previous guy screwed up.” But how are the stock options?
While the majority of unhappy employees declined to name their place of business — no doubt in fear of monitoring by high-tech and/or highly sensitive HR departments — those rolling gleefully into the office each day were more than willing to list their employers. Those happy businesses included:
- Alnylam US, Inc.
- BILH Foot and Ankle Center
- Boston College
- Corporate Ink
- Dare Design
- GoTo
- Helpsystems
- loanDepot.com
- McCarty Anesthesiology
- MIT
- Proforma Printing & Promotion
- Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.
- R.W. Shattuck & Co, Inc.
- Slalom
- Stavvy
- The Phia Group
- Traditions Home Health Services
See below for more comments about what made happy workers happy, unhappy workers unhappy, and middle-of-the-road workers, well, middling.
Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
THE GOOD:
“Our culture is centered on flexibility (work when you want, results over hours, etc.), innovation (four-day work weeks, unlimited vacation, etc.), and teamwork (amazing bonding events, supportive attitudes, etc.). The work-life balance is ideal.” — Tori S.
“I get to work with some pretty amazing kids. I get to watch them grow into young adults and prepare for the world. It is great to see them learn from their mistakes. Watch them get excited for their next step in life no matter what it is … college, trade, army, work or marriage. It’s just the fact they are happy that makes you happy and proud of them. You wish them the best.” — Brenda, employee at a local high school (not a teacher)
“We have an excellent all women-centric team that allows for flexibility and understanding when it comes to child care challenges, among other ‘family life’ things that can come up. I love that my company does not require me to come into the office EVER unless there is a true mandatory meeting (this is rare). No sitting in traffic. No depressing office days without natural light. No unnecessary meetings or coffee chats.” — Tamara W.
“The first Friday of every month the entire company logs off to celebrate a Self-Care Day. We also have unlimited paid time off in the U.S. and a remote-centric work policy allowing most employees to work from wherever they want — even if that’s bed.” — Andrew D.
“Two big factors: 1) Co-workers. Our hardware store requires a lot of co-worker interaction, and we have a great team. Almost everyone will step in if things get too busy in one area, and people treat each other in a friendly manner. We might not hang out together after work, but on the job, we’re a team. 2) The boss doesn’t sit in an ivory tower. He’ll step in to help even the most ordinary jobs, like slinging concrete on the dock or answering the phone. I respect him for that.” — Grace A.
“Working from home! Not a lot of pressure, flexible schedule.” — Anonymous
THE BAD:
“The workplace is one full of harassment and mistreatment, criticism from the supervisor who encourages employees to harass each other, to the HR department and company corporate culture who go along with this. It is pretty miserable. “ — Terry A.
WORK:
“I actually enjoy my job, other than the fact that they unnecessarily drag us into the office for mandatory ‘connect days,’ which are utterly counterproductive and wildly inefficient. Had they left us working from where we individually know we can do our work better we would all be very, very happy. But they have poisoned their own well.” — Neil, Boston
“I work in an urban school. Things have changed drastically — for the worse. Parents are not parenting and can be nasty and threatening. Students are constantly on their phones, arguing, fighting, etc. The whole atmosphere has changed in the last several years. … Half of the staff left. It’s a miserable existence these days. Just wait. No one is going to want to work in the schools pretty soon.” — Anonymous
“Inconsistent messaging from management. Decisions are reactive, almost never proactive. Staff leaving with notice but backfills are almost never secure in an efficient time, overworking staff.” — RN
“There is no need for us to be on-site unless there is a specific reason for it so the commute, parking fees, etc. are an absolute waste of time and money for those on-site, and for those of us who are remote, our managers do nearly nothing to keep us connected with those in our departments, not even considering the wider office.” — Briv
“Toxic typical BOSTON ANGRY workplace.” — Joe S.
THE MIDDLE GROUND:
“I love working with my team, brainstorming for answers, and knowing we are helping the medical field achieve great things. The one thing that is lacking is transparency from upper management. They speak it but don’t practice it. Very disappointing.” — Anonymous
“Just not interested in what we do, but pay, benefits, and work-life balance are decent, and the grass is always greener, so I’ve sucked it up for 18 years.” — Richard D.
“Pay is low, and the job is boring. I very much like my coworkers, and the work the company does.” — Anonymous
“The balanced approach of teamwork and autonomy works well; however, an office full of micromanagement; lack of trust; encouragement to verbalize political views stifles enthusiasm.” — Anonymous
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