New benchmark data from 9600+ leaders reveals a decade of unbroken decline among employed professionals, with ‘life satisfaction’ falling faster since 2023 than any other dimension. Here’s what HR practitioners can do about it.
My colleagues and I have been measuring the wellbeing of leaders and professionals for over a decade using the Global Leadership Wellbeing Survey (GLWS®). With a dataset of more than 9600 leaders, it is one of the most comprehensive archives on executive wellbeing.
For the first time, we are releasing insights from a decade of data – and the findings present a compelling case for urgent intervention.
Every primary indicator of subjective wellbeing – from happiness and life satisfaction to the core metrics of ‘working well’ and ‘living well’ – has been in steady decline since 2016 (see graph below). There have been no exceptions to this trend, and as yet, no signs of recovery.
In August, we will be unpacking this data in greater depth at the AHRI National Convention and Exhibition. For now, here is a preview of our key findings.
A sharpening trend
Since our last published benchmark of 6500 leaders at the end of 2023, the decline has not only continued, it has sharpened.
As HR practitioners, understanding the depth of this trend is critical. When the wellbeing of those at the top erodes, the impact filters through every level of the organisational culture.
The data suggests we are no longer just looking at a “rough patch” for leadership resilience, but a systemic downward trend that requires a strategic response.
Hover over any data point to see exact values.
Interpreting the data
When observing score fluctuations of 0.2 or 0.3, it is reasonable to ask if these shifts are substantial enough to warrant concern. With a dataset of this size, the validity is unequivocal.
At this scale, statistical noise is virtually eliminated. These differences have replicated every year for a decade; they are not random variations, but reliable signals of a deep-seated shift affecting the leaders and professionals your organisation depends upon.
However, it’s important to note that these results are drawn from organisations already proactive enough to invest in detailed wellbeing measurement.
In environments where wellbeing is not being monitored or managed, it is highly probable that their reality is even more concerning.
If I was to call out the standout trends from this research, there are five points I would highlight:
- This is not a post-pandemic ‘blip’
The downward trend in leadership wellbeing predates COVID-19 and has persisted throughout the recovery period.
Scores have failed to return to pre-2020 levels, suggesting that the pandemic didn’t create these issues, it simply accelerated a pre-existing structural decline.
- Work design remains the primary driver
In absolute terms, the ‘Working Well’ dimension is our lowest-scoring indicator and has recorded the steepest cumulative fall over the decade.
This highlights a hard truth for HR: wellbeing strategies that focus solely on individual resilience while leaving toxic or unsustainable work conditions unchanged are merely treating symptoms, rather than causes.
- Life satisfaction is the new frontline
Since 2023, Life Satisfaction has plummeted faster among professionals than any other dimension.
This indicates that professional pressure is no longer contained within the office; it is bleeding into leaders’ personal lives and eroding their overall contentment.
For organisations, this spillover effect is a significant risk to long-term executive retention.
- Happiness is eroding faster than meaning
While many leaders still find purpose in their roles, their day-to-day emotional experience – their ‘happiness’ – is deteriorating. In the HR context, this is a classic early-warning signal for disengagement and eventual burnout.
A leader can find their work meaningful and still be too exhausted to perform it effectively.
- 2025 and 2026 show the sharpest recent decline
After a period of relative stabilisation, the past two years have seen a renewed and steep deterioration across the executive cohort. This sharpening of the curve suggests that the current demands on leadership are reaching a breaking point, requiring a more urgent and systemic response from the board level down.
The four global measures outlined above – Happiness, Life Satisfaction, Working Well, and Living Well – are deliberately high-level.
While these headline indicators are invaluable for tracking longitudinal trends and building a business case for intervention, they remain, by nature, blunt instruments.
They serve as a vital diagnostic, confirming that a systemic issue exists; however, they do not prescribe the solution.
To move from awareness to impact, HR practitioners must look beneath these macro-trends to understand the specific drivers of decline within their own organisational contexts.
Three things HR can do right now
While the data presents a sobering trend, it also provides a roadmap for HR practitioners to move from passive observation to strategic intervention. Here are three things HR practitioners can do now:
- Measure at the right level of depth
Global indicators tell you that something is going wrong (or right), but they rarely tell you why. To move beyond broad assumptions, HR must utilise comprehensive frameworks that look at the specific drivers of wellbeing.
By measuring across multiple dimensions in more detail – such as workload, mental resilience and professional relationships – you can identify exactly what, where and for whom interventions are needed.
This allows for precisely targeted support rather than one-size-fits-all programs.
- Make the case at board level
This data provides the independent evidence required to elevate leader wellbeing from an afterthought to a strategic conversation regarding risk, performance and culture.
A sustained, statistically significant decline in leadership health is a business continuity issue. Conversely, a psychologically safe, agile and healthy leadership culture is the primary lever for unlocking new and sustained value.
HR must frame these findings as a core pillar of organisational stability.
- Shift from programs to conditions
The data shows the steepest decline is in the ‘Working Well’ dimension.
If your current strategy is weighted toward individual resilience and lifestyle support, it is likely failing to address the primary driver of the problem.
We must expand our focus from fixing the individual to addressing the structural conditions and work designs that are causing the erosion.
The goal is to identify which organisational conditions need to change to allow leaders and teams to thrive.
Hear more at AHRI’s National Convention & Exhibition in Brisbane on 4-6 August 2026. Audrey McGibbon will be presenting this research and exploring what a decade of data tells us and what bold, evidence-led HR leadership looks like in response.
Audrey McGibbon is a Chartered Occupational and Coaching Psychologist, CEO and founder of EEK & SENSE Pty Ltd, and creator of the Global Leadership Wellbeing Survey (GLWS®). She works at the intersection of psychology, organisational systems, governance, and measurement, advising boards, executive teams, and HR leaders across Australia and internationally.
