Wellbeing at Work by Jim Clifton & Jim Harter Summary

Wellbeing at Work explores how leaders can cultivate resilient, thriving teams by addressing five wellbeing elements: career, social, financial, physical, and community. Coauthored by Gallup’s CEO Jim Clifton and workplace scientist Jim Harter, it combines data from 100+ million Gallup interviews with actionable strategies to improve mental health, engagement, and organizational success during crises like the mental health pandemic.

This book is essential for HR professionals, managers, and organizational leaders seeking evidence-based methods to boost employee resilience and performance. It also benefits employees aiming to understand workplace wellbeing or individuals interested in Gallup’s research on strengths-based leadership.

Yes—it offers a data-driven approach to addressing modern workplace challenges, including hybrid work dynamics and mental health. The inclusion of a free CliftonStrengths assessment link and actionable frameworks like Gallup’s Q12 survey make it a practical toolkit for fostering thriving cultures.

The five elements are:

• Career wellbeing: Finding purpose in work
• Social wellbeing: Strong workplace relationships
• Financial wellbeing: Stability and financial freedom
• Physical wellbeing: Health and energy
• Community wellbeing: Sense of belonging
  Gallup’s "Net Thriving" metric measures progress across these areas, serving as a key indicator of organizational health.

The book links mental health to organizational resilience, advocating for weekly manager-employee feedback, autonomy in task execution, and strengths-based roles. It emphasizes hybrid work models as optimal for balancing flexibility and connection, backed by Gallup’s global data.

This metric evaluates whether employees are “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” across the five wellbeing elements. Designed to serve as an organization’s “other stock price,” it helps leaders track wellbeing’s impact on productivity and retention.

Jim Clifton (Gallup’s CEO) and Jim Harter (Chief Workplace Scientist) draw on decades of research, including Gallup’s global workplace studies and the CliftonStrengths assessment. Their prior bestselling books, like It’s the Manager, reinforce their expertise in leadership and employee engagement.

Managers should:

• Conduct frequent strengths-focused check-ins
• Use Gallup’s Q12 survey to gauge engagement
• Promote autonomy in task completion
• Address financial stress through transparent compensation policies
  The book’s Manager Resource Guide provides templates for these strategies.

Some reviewers note the book’s heavy reliance on Gallup-specific metrics (e.g., CliftonStrengths) and its focus on corporate settings, which may oversimplify wellbeing for smaller organizations. However, its data-driven approach is widely praised for practicality.

Unlike generic leadership guides, it integrates wellbeing science with performance metrics, offering a unique blend of academic research (like the 100-million-interview dataset) and tools like the Net Thriving score. It’s particularly relevant post-pandemic due to its hybrid work insights.

With remote/hybrid work now standard and mental health a top employee concern, the book’s strategies for fostering autonomy, trust, and regular feedback remain critical. Its emphasis on resilience aligns with ongoing职场 trends toward holistic employee care.

The book includes:

• A one-time CliftonStrengths assessment code
• Gallup’s Q12 employee engagement survey
• A Manager Resource Guide with templates for wellbeing action plans
  These resources help translate theory into practice.