Employee satisfaction across Europe largely boils down to location and flexibility, study reveals

While employees in Europe are largely happy at work, their country, location flexibility, and age all play a part in their overall worker satisfaction, a recent report found.

Great Place to Work, a workplace culture index, recently released its first European Workforce Study. The organization surveyed roughly 25,000 employees across 19 countries.

Overall, employees in Italy and Greece reported the lowest worker satisfaction, with just 43% and 44% of respondents, respectively, calling their company a great place to work. Employees in Denmark and Norway, meanwhile, reported 75% and 73% satisfaction. The authors noted that employee satisfaction has a direct impact on productivity, and productivity levels mirrored satisfaction numbers.

The report also identified factors that can drive a positive work culture, including employees feeling as though they have respect, work-life balance, and psychological safety, and leaders embodying the organization’s values.

As is the case in the US, employee retention rates seem to differ by age group. In Europe, just 25% of those over 55 “would like to leave” their current employer, but that number climbs to 40% of people aged 18–24.

Location also impacts employees’ commitment to their employer, with workers in Italy, France, and Poland being most likely to plan on looking for a new job in 2025. Those in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria were most likely to report being happy with their current company.

As remote and flexible work options have dwindled in the US, they appear to have become more of a novelty in Europe as well. Just 9% of respondents said they can work remotely, while 26% said they can work hybrid and 65% are fully onsite. Most (57%) workers said that they would choose hybrid work, although just 11% of employers cited it as the preference.

Northern European countries including Finland and Sweden were found to be more likely to offer location flexibility. Additionally, their hybrid workers are less likely to want to leave their current companies, are more innovative, and have better psychological safety than those in countries that don’t provide flexibility.

“We live in a time where the employee, both as an individual and as part of a team, is more empowered than ever to influence productivity and results,” the report said. “It has never been more important to understand the effects of workforce culture and leadership on performance and productivity.”