Eight out of 10 people in Spain admit to being satisfied with their jobs, according to a survey by the 40dB Institute. But what would happen if these same workers were asked about their emotions and experiences? What if they were asked to recall the last time they felt enthusiastic, joyful or fulfilled in response to a pleasant surprise at work?

So-called employee delight is a very positive and intense emotional state that occurs when an experience far surpasses a worker's expectations. It has the capacity to transform a worker's experience and, in turn, a company's performance, yet academic literature on the concept remains scarce.
The study Employee Delight: Conceptualization, Antecedents, and Consequences, which is available as an open-access resource, seeks to address this gap by defining the phenomenon, integrating theoretical perspectives and proposing an empirical framework to support further research. The study was conducted by Dalilis Escobar and Eva Rimbau Gilabert, researchers within the Digital Business Research Group (DigiBiz) and members of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), as well as Alba Manresa, of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC).


Why is employee delight so important?

Experiencing employee delight is more than just being happy at work; it is a very strong emotion in response to a surprising event that surpasses expectations. "Imagine, for example, an analyst who was responsible for preparing a key report that informed a strategic decision within their organization. After they've presented it, their managers not only approve the proposal, but also explain to the rest of the team that the quality of the analysis played a crucial role in their final decision and give the analyst responsibility for coordinating implementation", explained the researchers.
"This recognition is unexpected and clearly stems from a specific contribution associated with a major professional goal, that of assuming greater responsibility in high-impact projects. That combination ensures that the experience is perceived as exceptional, thus giving rise to employee delight", added the experts.

One of the hallmarks of employee delight is its fleeting nature. However, its effects can have lasting consequences, which may be highly beneficial for both workers and companies. "Highly positive experiences predispose people to favourable behaviours, such as collaboration, commitment and the search for meaning at work. This can translate into greater initiative, collaboration and willingness to contribute new ideas", the researchers pointed out.
"In the long term these experiences can strengthen personal and collective qualities, such as confidence, motivation and the ability to tackle challenges. When organizations foster environments where these emotions can emerge - through trust-based leadership or recognition and career development policies, for example - employee delight can enhance the well-being and effective functioning of teams", concluded Escobar and Rimbau-Gilabert, who are affiliated with the UOC-DIGIT centre, along with Manresa.


How to foster employee delight

According to the researchers, organizations have the opportunity to go beyond merely providing adequate working conditions, which may generate satisfaction, and instead create experiences that employees perceive as valuable and exceptional, thereby giving rise to delight. "Achieving this does not require companies to stage major events, but rather to foster situations that employees remember as positive and meaningful. For example, they could provide sincere and specific recognition and offer real opportunities to achieve significant accomplishments", they pointed out.
The study conducted by the UOC identified four types of situations that can help generate these emotions:

-Achieving goals or successfully solving problems.
-Receiving recognition and positive feedback.
-Experiencing appreciation in social interactions and collaborative work.
-Experiencing unexpected positive situations.


The future of the study

One of the study's main contributions is that it provides a comprehensive definition of the term employee delight underpinned by three components: the emotional, the cognitive and the motivational. "Each component addresses a different dimension of the phenomenon and allows it to be explained comprehensively by showing what it generates and the consequences it entails. The emotional component captures its intensity, the cognitive component explains how the experience is interpreted, and the motivational component indicates its influence on subsequent behaviours. Distinguishing between these components allows a more accurate analysis and more effective organizational interventions", said the research team.

The researchers believe that the progress achieved through this work can benefit both individuals and organizations, although they added that it is an emerging field of research and the results should be interpreted with caution. To continue advancing academically, it is necessary to consider three objectives: to empirically validate the proposed conceptual model, develop specific measurement tools, and conduct research in different cultural and organizational contexts.

"Studies are needed to explore how employee delight might be influenced by different cultural environments, sectors and organization types. This would provide insights into the factors that promote or hinder the emergence of these experiences across diverse work settings", the faculty members concluded.


This project aligns with the UOC research missions Education of the Future and Planetary health and well-being. The research also supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 10, Reduced Inequalities.


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