The most overlooked KPI in business? Joy

Our industry is driven by a clear purpose: helping people live better, healthier lives. Behind that mission stand dedicated teams of people who navigate pressure, complexity and constant change every day.

Amid remote working, quiet quitting and AI reshaping how we work, it’s our humanity that holds everything together. Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report found that organisations prioritising well-being and purpose see stronger engagement and retention.  Its Gen Z and Millennial Survey revealed that nearly nine in ten Gen Zs (86%) and millennials (89%) say purpose is key to job satisfaction.

We’ve spent years measuring satisfaction and productivity. Is it useful? Yes. Is it enough? Not even close. These metrics don’t capture the real question: how alive do people feel in their work?

The answer lies in something deeply human and surprisingly strategic: joy.

Joy at work isn’t about fancy office perks. It’s about noticing and nurturing what makes people come alive: energy, connection and purpose.

Behavioural science backs this up. Positive emotions like joy enhance creativity, strengthen motivation and boost resilience in the face of challenges. Oxford University found that happy workers are 13% more productive. BCG research shows employees who enjoy their work are 49% less likely to consider leaving.

When joy is present, ideas spark, teams collaborate and complex challenges feel meaningful. When it is missing, people stop sharing ideas and start simply getting through the day. In an industry built on empathy and human connection, that’s not just a culture issue, it’s a business one.

Across sectors, organisations are rediscovering the power of connection. But connection alone isn’t enough. The real catalyst is joy: the emotional fuel that makes people want to show up, contribute and create.

Joy isn’t abstract. It’s the feeling that arises when people are trusted, valued and seen. It’s what turns a good team into a great one, and what makes work feel human again. And crucially, it can be measured.

At POP Health, we’ve built a trademarked model designed to go beyond sentiment and understand whether people truly feel connected, purposeful and energised in their work: the POP Health Joy Index. Grounded in behavioural science, it blends self-reported insights with tangible indicators, from engagement and attendance to collaboration patterns, revealing how joy shows up in real life.

These measures give a clear, actionable view of what’s driving a team’s energy and where it could do with a boost. Joy becomes a measurable signal of performance, resilience and culture, not just a feel-good factor. And when joy dips, early warning signs appear long before engagement or retention metrics change. This allows leaders to see the invisible and act before energy is lost.

Joy cannot be mandated, but it can be cultivated. From onboarding that celebrates individuality, to growth conversations that focus on what energises them, it’s about building environments that make people feel truly alive in their work.

Even small rituals matter. In our team, a weekly ‘joy and no joy’ check-in offers a moment of honesty, a simple pulse check that keeps empathy and connection alive. It reminds us that being human at work isn’t a distraction; it’s the foundation for doing our best work.

Organisations that measure and nurture joy gain a real-time understanding of their culture. They can see where team energy is thriving, and where it’s starting to fade, enabling them to respond early and with intention. The result? Motivated teams, stronger creativity and a shared sense of purpose that fuels progress.

Work shouldn’t be measured only by efficiency, but by how sustainably we create value. Joy powers our ability to connect people with purpose and inspire action, even when the work is hard.

The future of work will be defined not just by what we achieve, but by how it feels to get there. Joy isn’t fluff, it’s fuel. It powers innovation, connection and the long-term energy that keeps people and businesses thriving.

As sustainability once evolved from ‘nice to have’ to non-negotiable, joy is becoming essential to performance. Because when people feel alive in their work, everything they touch – patients, partners and the public – benefits too.

So, the real question isn’t whether we can afford to measure joy. It’s whether we can afford not to.

To find out more about how we bring joy to life, email hello@pophealthcomms.com