Working Not Working, a subsidiary of Fiverr, Introduces First “Employee (Un)Happiness Survey”

It’s no secret. The workplace is evolving faster than you can say “virtual happy hour,” and the honeymoon phase between employees and their jobs is pretty much over. Enter Working Not Working with a wake-up call that employers might not want to hear: the workforce is simply unwell. And because we’re in the business of reality checks, we’ve released the results of our “Employee (Un)Happiness Survey.” Spoiler alert: the results are enough to make you want to sit down with a strong drink (maybe two).

The (Un)Happiness Epidemic

You ever have one of those days where nothing quite feels right? Well, welcome to the current state of employment. It's like someone threw a wrench in the machine, and now everything is just off. Employees are burnt out, fed up, and frankly over it. We picked up on this vibe and figured we couldn’t be the only ones feeling it. That’s when the lightbulb went off: why not ask our people what’s going on in their worlds?

Cue the launch of our first-ever Employee (Un)Happiness Survey. We sent it out to all our full-time talent, hoping to get some real answers. What we uncovered was both enlightening and a little terrifying. But hey, that’s why we did it—to figure out what’s going wrong and what companies can actually do to fix it.

Employee (Un)Happiness Survey Results: What’s Making Your Employees Unhappy?

Let’s rip the band-aid off, shall we? The survey confirmed what a lot of us had already suspected—there’s a lot of discontent simmering under the surface. And the buzzwords that have made their way into office lexicon—“quiet quitting,” “coffee-badging,” “quit-tok,” and “quiet vacationing”— all point to one thing: people are checked out.

Here’s the kicker: unhappy employees are costing companies big. Between turnover, productivity dips, and the cost of training new hires, we’re talking about some serious bottom-line damage. So if you’re wondering whether employee satisfaction really matters, news flash: it does and it’s a problem companies can’t afford to ignore.

So, what can we actually do about it? It's not enough to just hope for the best or throw money at the problem. Employees are craving more than just a paycheck—they want purpose, flexibility, and a sense that their work means something. Companies need to take a more thoughtful approach to keep their top talent engaged and thriving.

Understanding what keeps employees engaged is the first step toward building a culture where they want to stay. It’s time to create an environment where flexibility, growth, and values are prioritized, a place people don’t want to leave. 

Ready for Real Talk? Click here to check out the full (Un)Happiness Survey for a closer look at how employees are really feeling—and maybe grab a stress ball before you dive in.