Dive Brief:

Miami is the happiest city to work in for 2019, according to data complied by kununu. After gathering data from more than 85,000 workplaces reviewed between 2017 and 2018, Miami earned a happiness score of 3.99 out of five. Los Angeles, California; Raleigh, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky and Omaha, Nebraska, rounded out the top five.

Workers were asked to provide rankings based on how happy they were with their employers; how co-workers interacted and worked together; if leadership set realistic expectations and if they involved employees in the decision making process; how much they were trusted to work independently; and how they ranked company culture overall. In a press email to HR Dive, kununu said it hoped to reveal if geographical location impacted career happiness, leading it to investigate employee contentment based on four factors: culture, teamwork, autonomy and managerial support.

Ranking number 50 on the list with a score of only 3.53 out of five was New York City. Oakland, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Houston, Texas, were also at the bottom of the results.

Dive Insight:

In real estate, it's said that only three things matter: "location, location, location." In the tight talent market, location has remained a key factor in a job seeker or employee's willingness to work. Fewer workers are willing to move across the country, or even across the state, for a new job, according to research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. The survey showed that only 10% of job seekers relocated for work in the first half of 2018, a rate that has remained the same since the first two quarters of 2017. Some businesses have decided to move to the workers instead. The NRP Group relocated its headquarters to downtown Cleveland in the summer of 2018, for example.

Location aside, many factors determine worker happiness. Some have cited meaningful work — duties and responsibilities that align with the employee's core values and beliefs. Others are looking for a company that represents their ideals, even if the work they perform doesn't directly impact the mission. Autonomy is another aspect of a happy workforce, when workers are allowed to take risks and ownership in the duties they perform they can achieve higher levels of job satisfaction. Recognition for the work they do is another factor that builds the happiness levels for staffers.

But few employees say they believe they have a great job, according to recent research, even though data suggests a positive employee experience relates directly to profitability. Many leaders have reported a positive company culture helps businesses meet their desired outcomes, shifting behaviors toward positive, achievable goals that benefit the business and its employees.