Work occupies a significant portion of a person’s life and directly dictates whether they feel happy. According to data from the “Kontur.Tolk” platform, 76% of Russians state that their mood and happiness levels depend specifically on their work. Meanwhile, 63.7% of employed workers consider themselves happy, compared to 76% of the self-employed. Why should corporate HR departments transition to a systematic approach to happiness? Can the "happiness index" be measured objectively? How do we train HR specialists capable of implementing well-being programs? Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences Natalia Solovova, Head of the Department of Human Resource Management and Head of the Educational and Methodological Department at Samara National Research University, answers these questions and more.
— You are a co-author of the 2026 study "On the Relevance of the Happiness Index in the Workforce." Why should employers seriously focus on the "happiness index" right now, rather than just sticking to traditional KPIs?
— The modern labor market is grappling with mass employee burnout and a fundamental shift in values among the new generation of professionals. For them, psychological comfort at work is just as important as salary. In the fierce war for talent, traditional KPIs are no longer an effective management tool. They only record past results; they cannot predict the sudden departure of a key employee due to a toxic atmosphere or exhaustion.
Today, companies are paying close attention to the workplace happiness index, reflecting a global trend shifting focus from evaluating the past to developing future potential. KPIs remain an effective tool for assessing performance—they capture the result—but they do not reflect the team's state or burnout risks. The "happiness index" acts as a predictor: it helps maintain engagement and retain talent, which is critical for the knowledge economy. Investing in the happiness index has become a matter of business survival for HR departments. Numerous large-scale scientific studies have experimentally proven a direct causal link between employee happiness and productivity. Regular well-being monitoring allows companies to spot the early signs of "quiet quitting," reduce constant hiring costs, and strengthen their employer brand.
— Your article mentions various metrics for determining the "happiness index." Which one do you consider most relevant for Russian companies?
— The best choice for the Russian market is the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS). It is the simplest, most understandable, and most applicable tool for assessing loyalty and predicting turnover. Other metrics, like the Happy Index or Well-being Index, should only be used as supplementary tools alongside eNPS to delve deeper into the root causes of dissatisfaction. They require a higher corporate culture and more resources to process. Indicators like the Happy Planet Index or the Human Development Index are macroeconomic tools entirely unsuited for evaluating internal personnel efficiency. Thus, for most Russian organizations, the optimal strategy is regular eNPS measurement as a foundation, gradually introducing well-being index elements as HR processes mature.
— Studies show that the self-employed and entrepreneurs feel happier than hired workers (76% vs. 63.7%). Can HR departments adopt elements of their work style to boost happiness within an organization?
— Companies should integrate principles of entrepreneurial thinking, shifting the focus from controlling processes to trusting results. The main goal is to create a comfortable environment where every employee feels like the owner of their area of responsibility. This can be achieved by delegating goals rather than micromanaging, and granting autonomy in choosing work methods. It is also vital to foster a culture where mistakes are viewed not as grounds for punishment, but as opportunities for learning and growth.
Business transparency must be increased by showing the direct link between the team's efforts and the company's ultimate success, offering flexible reward systems tied to real achievements, and introducing various flexible employment formats and schedules. However, this approach requires balance: HR must provide employees with entrepreneurial freedom while maintaining social security and stability. Not everyone is psychologically ready to work in conditions of high risk and uncertainty.
— Data in your article shows that in the 18–24 age group, only about 31% enjoy their work, whereas in the 35–44 group, it’s nearly 50%. How is this explained? How should employers build retention policies for the youth, who supposedly should be more driven?
— Young people aged 18–24 are in an active phase of career exploration. They are prone to changing jobs due to inflated expectations and a desire for quick results. Specialists in the 35–44 age group have already found their niche, possess autonomy, and value stability over the external attributes of corporate culture. Younger employees are more likely to view routine as an obstacle rather than a necessary part of the process. Therefore, to retain them, employers must offer transparent career paths, learning opportunities, flexible work formats, and tasks with a fast-track zone of responsibility—turning work from a mere source of income into a stepping stone for building their personal brand.
It is important to note that personnel well-being is influenced by several key factors:
- Job satisfaction, including the willingness to recommend the employer.
- Engagement in the work process as a psychological state that boosts productivity.
- Turnover rates as an objective indicator of personnel stability.
— Western well-being practices often focus heavily on mental health. How well does this adapt to Russian realities? Which areas of well-being—physical, social, financial, or professional—do Russians value most in the workplace?
— Foreign employee care methods, such as mandatory sessions with a psychologist, often fail to take root in Russia because people view them with skepticism, seeing them as unnecessary intrusions into their private lives. A different approach works better here. For most employees, financial security and safety come first, which includes high salaries, bonuses, and comprehensive voluntary health insurance (DMS). Opportunities for learning and career advancement, as well as physical comfort, are also highly valued. Psychological comfort and mental health only become priorities once basic needs are met. Therefore, in Russian companies, caring for staff mental health works best when it is not presented as a standalone "psychotherapy service," but is embedded in the corporate culture—where leadership supports the team and creates healthy, safe working conditions.
— Many managers still view happiness as something intangible. Are there concrete figures showing the ROI of implementing happiness-boosting programs? How do you distinguish a real effect from a placebo?
— The ROI of investing in employee happiness is confirmed by its direct link to a company's financial results. According to a global Gallup report, high employee engagement increases company profitability by 21% and productivity by 17%, while simultaneously reducing hiring costs through lower turnover. To evaluate effectiveness, it is crucial to focus on operational metrics: eNPS, revenue per employee dynamics, task completion speed, and absenteeism rates.
A real effect, unlike a placebo, becomes systemic. If "happiness" leads to sustainable growth in these metrics, it is an investment. If it is limited to a temporary mood boost following a one-off event without impacting the bottom line, it is a fleeting effect with no long-term economic benefit.
— At Samara University, you head the Department of Human Resource Management. What competencies are mandatory today for an HR management graduate to competently build a system for measuring and improving employee happiness?
— Today, such a specialist needs more than just professional HR competencies. On the one hand, an HR manager must understand business analytics and IT technologies to translate the emotional state of employees into measurable mathematical indicators. A graduate must master Big Data and predictive analytics tools to link staff happiness to specific financial outcomes and forecast personnel risks. Without these skills, corporate well-being programs will remain abstract, and management will refuse to fund them due to a lack of measurable ROI.
On the other hand, an HR specialist cannot do without highly developed emotional intelligence, which allows them to sense the socio-psychological climate in the team and recognize hidden problems at the earliest stages. A graduate must possess deep empathy to build a psychologically safe organizational environment, as well as advanced self-regulation and social flexibility skills to resolve conflicts effectively.
— How in-demand are HR specialists who graduate from Samara University?
— Critical talent shortages have forced organizations of all sizes and profiles—from startups to large holdings—to radically rethink their approach to human capital. Our certified HR specialists successfully find their place in the banking sector, retail, IT, construction, and manufacturing. The brand of Samara University as a leading research center in the Volga region opens doors for our graduates to both innovative IT giants and the region's largest industrial flagship enterprises. A prime example of a successful career track is the HR Business Partner position. An ambitious graduate can claim this role 7–10 years after graduation. Starting as an assistant or recruiter, a young specialist eventually becomes the right hand of a top executive or HR Director.
"Material conditions are important, but they do not exhaust the factors influencing subjective well-being. Individual motivational structures are also significant. A combined approach to assessing and improving well-being is recommended, combining regular monitoring with qualitative feedback in these areas. The workplace happiness index is a quantitative or qualitative indicator reflecting the level of employee job satisfaction, their emotional state, motivation, and commitment to the company. It helps assess how satisfied employees are with working conditions, team relationships, development opportunities, work-life balance, and other aspects of the work environment."
A. S. Ryzhikova, N. V. Solovova. Innovative Strategies for Human Resource Management: Proceedings of the VIII All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference, Samara, December 8, 2025.
— In your opinion, what will be the main trend in managing employee happiness in 3–5 years?
— In my view, happiness management will evolve from periodic surveys into a continuous analytical process embedded in the daily work environment of every organization. A major trend will be the hyper-personalization of well-being programs based on artificial intelligence and biometric data analytics. Companies will abandon one-size-fits-all "social packages" and opt for IT platforms that analyze an employee's digital footprint, schedule, communication style, and even health metrics from smart gadgets in real time. This approach will allow companies to notice important behavioral changes, adjust workloads, offer individualized schedules, or suggest the right psychological practices.
— If a company leader or HR specialist wants to professionally dive into the topic of the "happiness index," how can they master these competencies?
— Samara University not only trains students but also works directly with industry practitioners. For several years, the Department of Human Resource Management has been developing programs where well-being and engagement are integrated into the core logic of learning.
We offer several levels of participation for executives and HR professionals. First, we provide supplementary professional education and advanced training programs in HR management and modern HR technologies, where we specifically break down the tools for measuring satisfaction, engagement, and the "happiness index."
Second, for a fundamental deep dive into the subject, we have designed our Master's program, "Human Resource Management and Organizational Psychology." Its unique feature is that master's students simultaneously earn dual qualifications in 38.04.03 "Human Resource Management" and 37.04.01 "Psychology." The quality of this program is ensured by a teaching tandem: the economic block is led by our department's faculty and HR practitioners, while the psychological block is taught by practicing organizational psychologists and coaches from the Psychology Faculty of Samara University. Thanks to this cross-disciplinary training, graduates can professionally build well-being systems based on an evidence-based approach, become architects of personalized life trajectories, help people find deep personal meaning in solving business tasks, and ultimately be happy at work.
Third, we can act as scientific and methodological partners in corporate projects. This is especially useful for companies just beginning to systematically work with the "happiness index": we help build the methodology, select the right tools, and evaluate the impact.
Source: kommersant.ru
