2026 Workplace Wellbeing Report

2026

CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY

Workplace Wellbeing Report Confirming the Crisis and Identifying What Helps: A National Replication Study

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUGOV

Executive Summary This nationally representative study of 2,000 U.S. workers replicates our August 2024 findings and identifies the specific coping strategies flourishing employees use when facing workplace stress.

Key Findings: •

Languishing remains pervasive: 61% of workers are languishing (vs. 57% in August 2024), confirming a persistent workplace crisis.

•

No demographic group is spared: Languishing occurs across all age groups, education levels, income brackets, genders, racial/ethnic groups, and U.S. regions.

•

Empowered squads drive flourishing: 68% flourishing in environments with high autonomy + strong support vs. 6% in neglected environments—a 10-fold difference.

•

Ethical climate matters: Flourishing employees consistently report stronger ethical expectations and accountability at work—replicating our August 2024 findings.

•

Languishing predicts serious outcomes: higher burnout, higher psychological distress, lower engagement, and greater turnover intentions.

•

NEW: Flourishing employees use the 3 Rs: REFRAME (cognitive reappraisal), REACH OUT (social connection), and RESET (active breaks) to deal with work stress.

•

These strategies are learnable: Not fixed traits—behaviors that can be taught, practiced, and supported by organizations.

Introduction In August 2024, we ran our inaugural study of employee mental wellbeing (languishing and flourishing) and published our first report in Winter 2025. In August of this year, we fielded our second study in partnership with YouGov. This report describes those survey results, which replicated our earlier results but also offered new insights about various organizational and individual factors.

Study Overview Sample:

Partner:

2,000 U.S. workers (nationally representative)

YouGov (Wave 1, collected August 2025)

Measures: • Same 14-item languishing/flourishing scale • Outcomes (burnout, distress, satisfaction, turnover, focus) • Organizational factors (squad dynamics, ethical climate, supervisor quality, organization type) • NEW: 17 emotional regulation strategies for coping with workplace stress

Core Findings: Confirming the Crisis Languishing Rates Remain High In this nationally representative sample, we found that 61% of workers are languishing at work, while 39% are flourishing. This closely replicates our inaugural study findings of 57% languishing.

Category

Inaugural Study (Aug 2024)

Current Study (Aug 2025)

Languishing Severely

11.6%

17.6%

Languishing Mild-Moderate

45.4%

44%

Flourishing

43%

39%

As in our inaugural study, languishing shows up across four of five age groups, across all education levels, income brackets, gender, region of the country, and racial/ethnic groups.

Languishing is not confined to any particular demographic—it is a problem affecting workers broadly.

The consistency across two independent samples confirms languishing at work is a persistent reality for the majority of U.S. workers.

The Empowered Squad Effect One of our most striking findings from the inaugural report was the dramatic difference in flourishing rates based on work squad dynamics—the combination of autonomy (having real say in decisions and how work gets done) and care/support (feeling backed by coworkers, supervisors, and the organization).

The squads pattern holds in our current study: Work Squad Type

Characteristics

% Flourishing

Empowered Squad

High autonomy + High support

68%

Muted Squad

Low autonomy + High support

42%

Separated Squad

High autonomy + Low support

28%

Neglected Squad

Low autonomy + Low support

10%

Employees in empowered squads are 10 times more likely to flourish than those in neglected work environments. Work environment matters far more than individual demographics.

Ethical Climate Predicts Flourishing Consistent with our August 2024 findings, we found that organizational ethical climate strongly predicts employee flourishing. Flourishing employees work in environments with clear ethical expectations and accountability.

Ethical Climate Indicator (% Strongly Agree)

Languishing

Flourishing

Employees expected to have strong concern for ethical and moral values

37%

57%

Employees expected to be ethical in their decisions and actions

44%

64%

Employees are expected to do what is fair and ethical even when it’s not easy

34%

61%

Employees are held accountable for being ethical at work

34%

50%

Flourishing employees are almost 2 times more likely to work in organizations with strong ethical expectations and accountability.

Languishing Predicts Serious Negative Outcomes Consistent with our inaugural findings, languishing at work strongly predicts a range of negative outcomes: Outcome

Languishing

Flourishing

Emotional burnout (emotionally drained from work very frequently)

38%

29%

Felt depressed or hopeless at work (many days during week)

29%

11%

Intend to look for new job in next 12 months (somewhat/ strongly agree)

34%

25%

Run on automatic, difficulty focusing (almost never)

11%

25%

Always have opportunities for deep focus (often/always)

51%

71%

I like working at my job (often/always)

50%

74%

These patterns closely mirror our inaugural study findings, with languishing employees showing higher rates of burnout, higher rates of psychological distress, and significantly lower work engagement and job satisfaction (partial results are representative).

New Insights: How Flourishers Handle Workplace Stress Having confirmed that languishing is widespread and consequential, we turned to a new question: What do flourishing employees actually do differently when faced with workplace stress?

We assessed 17 different emotional regulation strategies—specific behaviors people use to manage negative emotions and maintain wellbeing during difficult work periods. We have organized these strategies into three categories we call The 3 Rs: REFRAME, REACH OUT, and RESET.

REFRAME

REACH OUT

RESET

Strategy 1: REFRAME Cognitive Reappraisal: Actively reframing stressful situations to see them in a more manageable or meaningful light.

Languishing

Flourishing

Look for silver lining or the good in challenging situations

38%

55%

Remind self that difficult times won’t last

38%

54%

Take a step back and look at the bigger picture (beyond work)

40%

60%

REFRAME Strategy (often/always)

Flourishing employees are 2.5 times more likely to regularly reframe workplace challenges in a positive or growth-oriented light.

Strategy 2: REACH OUT Social Connection: Actively seek social connection and support—whether from colleagues, family, or friends.

Languishing

Flourishing

Interact with people (in person, video, phone, or text)

50%

68%

Turn to family or friends for comfort during difficult work periods

27%

52%

Discuss work situation with others to gain perspective or advice

25%

39%

REACH OUT Strategy (often/always)

68% of flourishing employees regularly interact with others when work gets hard, compared to 50% of languishing employees. Social connection is a coping strategy, not a sign of weakness. And venting, although a type of social interaction, is not helpful.

Strategy 3: RESET Active Breaks & Physical Activity: Willing and able to take active breaks and use physical movement to manage workplace stress.

RESET Strategy (often/always)

Languishing Flourishing

Go outside when possible to reset or recharge during workday

34%

43%

Use exercise or other physical activity to manage work stress

29%

40%

Use mindfulness and meditation practices to manage job stress

14%

26%

Flourishing employees are more likely to use active restoration strategies such as physical activity, stepping outside, and intentional resets - to manage stress before it compounds. Languishing employees are less likely to use these strategies, making it harder to interrupt the stress cycle.

Implications: From Diagnosis to Action Two studies, two different samples, consistent findings: languishing is pervasive, consequential, and tied to organizational systems more than individual traits. But now we also know that flourishing employees use distinct, learnable strategies when faced with workplace stress.

This creates a pathway forward—for individuals, for organizations, and for future research.

For Individuals: Practice the 3 Rs

For Organizations: Create the Conditions

REFRAME

ENABLE THE 3 RS

Ask “What can I learn?” instead of catastrophizing.

Flexible breaks, psychological safety, meeting-free focus time.

REACH OUT

BUILD EMPOWERED SQUADS

Don’t isolate. Talk to colleagues, friends, mentors.

Give autonomy AND strong support (68% vs. 6% flourishing).

RESET

STRENGTHEN ETHICAL CLIMATE

Take physical breaks.

Step outside, walk, move.

Clear expectations and accountability drive flourishing.

TRAIN MANAGERS Supervisor quality predicts flourishing.

MEASURE WELLBEING Track flourishing, not just absence of illness.

Conclusions This report confirms and extends our inaugural findings:

1. Languishing at work is real and persistent. Two independent samples, consistent results: the majority of U.S. workers are languishing.

2. Work environment matters more than demographics. Empowered squads show higher flourishing rates than neglected environments.

3. Languishing predicts serious outcomes. Higher burnout, psychological distress, turnover intentions, and difficulty focusing.

4. Flourishing employees use distinct strategies. The 3 Rs—REFRAME, REACH OUT, RESET—distinguish flourishers from languishers.

5. These strategies are learnable. They’re not fixed traits—they’re behaviors that individuals can practice and organizations can support.

The path from languishing to flourishing requires action at multiple levels: individuals practicing healthier coping strategies, managers creating autonomy and support, and organizations building cultures where wellbeing is not just the absence of illness but the presence of engagement, meaning, and vitality.

Our next report will examine leadership behaviors in depth.

About the Investigators Oscar Ybarra, Ph.D. Principal Investigator

Professor of Organizational Behavior, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Management & Organizations, University of Michigan. Dr. Ybarra serves as Director of the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society and Director of the Adaptive Social Cognition Lab. His research has been published in top journals and widely cited in major media outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.

Corey Keyes, Ph.D.

Co-Principal Investigator Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Emory University, where he held the Winship Distinguished Research Professorship. Dr. Keyes was a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development and Aging. He introduced the concepts of social wellbeing, flourishing, and the two continua model of mental health and illness. His work is being used to prevent mental illness via the promotion of flourishing mental health.

Ethan Kross, Ph.D.

Co-Principal Investigator Professor, Department of Psychology and Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Chair of the Social Psychology Area and Director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Dr. Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on emotion regulation. He has participated in policy discussions at the White House and his research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and Science.

References 1. Ybarra, O., Keyes, C., & Kross, E. (2025). Are employees languishing or flourishing at work?

The importance of clearly measuring this central element of workplace mental health. Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society, University of Illinois, Gies College of Business.

2. Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life.

Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 207-222.

3. Ybarra, O., & Chan, T. (2025). Personal agency and social connection are associated with loneliness over time. Nature Communications Psychology, 3(1), 151.

4. Pfund, G. N., Strecher, V., Kross, E., & Hill, P. L. (2023). Sense of purpose and strategies for coping with anxiety across adulthood. GeroPsych.

Please cite as: Ybarra, O., Keyes, C., & Kross, E. (2026). Workplace Wellbeing Report Fall 2025: Confirming the crisis and identifying what helps. Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society, University of Illinois, Gies College of Business.

For more information: Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society Gies College of Business University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign