Exploring the Multifaceted Nature of Work Happiness: A Mixed-Method Study

Work happiness is commonly described as an umbrella concept encompassing job satisfaction, engagement, and emotional attachment to the workplace. However, few studies have explored its underlying sources and emotional experiences, raising questions about its conceptual clarity and measurement. This exploratory inductive mixed-methods study investigates whether work happiness can be better understood by distinguishing between its sources (antecedents) and emotional expressions (outcomes). In the qualitative phase, 23 part-time adult students from Norway’s public and private sectors reflected on moments of work happiness and the emotions involved. Thematic analysis identified five source-related themes, which informed the development of 49 items. These items were tested in a quantitative survey distributed to 4000 employees, yielding 615 usable responses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed six conceptually coherent source dimensions—such as autonomy, recognition, and togetherness—and one emotional dimension. Regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant associations between source factors and emotional experiences, offering initial support for a dual-structure model of work happiness. Notably, the findings revealed a dialectical interplay between individual (“I”) and collective (“We”) sources, suggesting that work happiness emerges from both personal agency and social belonging. While promising, these findings are preliminary and require further validation. The study contributes to theory by proposing a grounded, multidimensional framework for work happiness and invites future research to examine its psychometric robustness and cross-contextual applicability.