Workers at Customer-Facing Companies Tend to Be Happier

A study published in the Academy of Management Journal suggests employees in customer-facing businesses tend to be happier than those who work in places further removed from customer interaction, reports Futurity . "We're trying to make the point that it's broader than the people who are directly engaged with customers," says Washington University in St. Louis Professor Andrew Knight. The researchers measured worker happiness in terms of "workforce strain," including sick time, absenteeism, and job burnout. Using more than 24,000 survey responses by employees, leaders, and HR workers at 161 companies in Germany, the researchers determined organizations that value outward emotional expressions tend to have happier employees. Meanwhile, those same happier workers in more customer-facing organizations also are less negative. These findings may invert conventional beliefs suggesting that dealing directly with the public might be frustrating and emotionally taxing as workers endure difficult interactions. "For every customer who is a pain in the neck, there's probably a customer who is a true delight," Knight concludes.