Glassdoor analyzed more than two million anonymous employee reviews from more than 1,500 companies between 2022 and 2025 and found a strong association between manager satisfaction and overall employee ratings of workplace culture.

When managers reported high satisfaction, employees tended to give higher scores for work-life balance, culture and values, and diversity, equity and inclusion, whereas low manager satisfaction correlated with lower worker ratings on these same measures. Satisfaction levels of senior leaders and front-line managers generally tracked together, and overall employee ratings were highest when both groups were satisfied and were the lowest when both were dissatisfied.

In organizations where leaders and managers diverged, employee views aligned more closely with managers, suggesting that workers experience culture primarily through their direct supervisors.

Source: https://www.hrdive.com/news/happy-managers-better-culture/802325/

So, the question for our readers is: When Managers Are Happy, Are Employees Happy?

Here is the opinion of one of the McCalmon editorial staff:

Jack McCalmon, Esq.

When managers are satisfied, employees are usually satisfied as well, but workers also want leaders who take their needs seriously and show consideration - so long as they are not grumpy doing it.

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