With a history of working within the human resources field and many opportunities to explore the area, it has become clear that an organization will flourish based on not only what materials they have available but also their ability to offer an environment that provides a level of attraction and support to their employees, which allows them to both bring in skilled people and maintain good people. The major portion of success will come from developing intangible values, such as love, trust, loyalty, justice and hope. If happiness is provided throughout the entire organization, from top down to bottom, then employees will have greater attachment to and identification with the organization thereby enhancing their level of engagement and commitment to the organization. As the world continues to change at such a rapid pace and presents greater challenges both materially and morally, relying only on financial capital, technological advancement or modern production techniques will no longer provide an organization with the means to survive. To be successful over the long term, business's must use intangible resources like happiness strategically as an element of their success strategy.

This research will explore the role that happiness plays in generating job engagement among the human resource workforce, specifically as it relates to an employment setting in an academic institution. Academic institutions such as universities are considered "pillar institutions" in terms of their contributions to the development of society and the advancement of knowledge and therefore creating a motivating and supportive work environment for faculty, employees, and students is critical to building a highly educated and progressive society. Therefore, a major purpose of this study is to identify happiness as a key determinant of enhancing job engagement and improving the effectiveness of organizations, as well as to add to the theoretical and practical knowledge of the relationships between these two variables. Other objectives of this study will include developing reliable and valid measures for evaluating happiness and job engagement and providing organizations with practical recommendations on how to maximize their human, intellectual, psychological, and social resources in order to improve the overall productivity of employees, faculty, and students at their respective universities, with a specific focus on the role of Iraqi universities.

The study undertakes a central question of how people define happiness in terms of material accomplishments (obtained through money), or how happiness can be seen as moral satisfaction or realization of self (self-actualization). Thus, the main question being asked is whether happiness is essential for work engagement. In addition to the main question, sub-questions are provided to investigate the theoretical bases of happiness, the relationship between happiness and work engagement, the extent to which happiness influences work engagement and the level of happiness that can be offered and promoted by the organization being studied. Taking this into consideration, the study has two main hypotheses. The first hypothesis predicts a statistically significant correlation between happiness and job engagement, while the second hypothesis predicts that happiness will have a statistically significant effect on job engagement. Additionally, both of these hypotheses will be divided into sub-hypotheses based on the dimensions of happiness, including causal, self-reference, and happiness derived from a sense of virtue. The sub-hypotheses will also examine the relationships and effects of the three dimensions of happiness regarding job engagement.

The study structure consists of four main parts to meet the goals of the research. Research methodology encompasses the problem, objectives and questions; theoretical background on the subject of happiness includes dimensions and sources of happiness and mechanisms for applying happiness; the empirical section of the research will encompass measurement of the independent variable and dependent variables of the three dimensions and sources of happiness; and finally, the recommendations and findings will be provided in a separate section.The overall framework of the research will be demonstrated in the diagram on the next page..

2.1 The Concept of Happiness

Generally speaking, happiness is defined and experienced as feeling good about your life and circumstances, and being content with what you have; it may be either material or spiritual (Nicolao et al.,2009). A person is made up of two parts; the body (the physical aspect of you) and the soul (the non-physical aspect of you). The body is made up completely of matter while the soul is made up of something more ethereal in nature. The body is what is used to meet your basic needs, or to carry you from one destination to another, similar to travelling from one port to another via a means of transport. True happiness is not found only in the body, it's found in the spirit, i.e. the internal self, heart, or mind. When viewed from the body, the spirit is referred to as the soul (or ruh); when viewed from the spirit, the spirit is referred to as God's spirit (i.e., "And I created a person and breathed into him [humanity] a portion of Me"). Within the body, it is referred to as "self" (nafs), as it is the organ through which one perceives life. Rationally and perceptively, it is known as "mind" (aql). Fluctuating in thought will result in its perception as "heart" (qalb). Research conducted in recent psychology supports this multidimensional idea, showing that people who achieve human flourishing do so by combining their cognitive, emotional, and spiritual faculties and not simply material wealth (Cordaro et al., 2024).

The soul of a person has many aspects and will be affected in various ways. There are three areas in particular that affect the way we interact with others and live in the world. These are (1) Our Reasoning Powers; (2) Our Imagination to Illustrate the Beauty of Something; and (3) Our Animalistic Desires for Food and Clothing. All three are essential for establishing who we are as human beings, how we develop our personalities, and how we behave based upon the conditions of each situation (Fernando & Perera, 2022). Numerous studies have shown that people who find balance within themselves (by developing greater rational and moral faculties) will report a greater sense of psychological well-being and happiness than those who focus on satisfying their base instincts. (Cordaro et al., 2024).

2.1.1 The Importance of Happiness

According to research, people who are happy have a much greater level of productivity and are generally more successful than their less-happy counterparts. Many studies have been done that indicate how happiness can improve a person's general psychological well-being and reduce their stress level (Sharma & Bhardwaj, 2024). Additionally, happiness is associated with performing actions as opposed to simply saying something. In other words, being happy both here and in the hereafter, is the ultimate source of happiness for each individual. The people who are truly happy are those who are focused on achieving their purpose through doing the right things, rather than those who are seeking temporary happiness for the sake of being happy; a truly happy person is one who has found their purpose and strives to reach that goal (Thompson & Alex, 2009). True happiness consists of having an untainted conscience and will, and doing acts of kindness that allow the individual to feel at peace, be confident in themselves, and be spiritually connected to God. (Qais Abdul Ali, 1999).

2.1.2 The Seven Rules of Happiness

Wealthy people possess items most people don’t, and there are wealthy individuals who have no serious health problems. Even so, many wealthy people are unhappy. Conversely, there are many chronically ill people who do not possess many items, and who have a positive attitude and are happy with God’s will (Tore & Duman-Saka, 2023). Researchers think humans can choose to be happy by controlling negative feelings including pessimism and anger and increasing positive feelings including compassion, peace, and thankfulness (Fernandes e de Souza, 2024). Recent studies suggest that gratitude and forgiveness are 39.6 percent of the reason for individuals who rate themselves as happy (Fernandes e de Souza, 2024).

There are 7 rules that can help you become happier. Rules of Happiness: (1) Make the choice to be happy; (2) Be grateful for what you have; (3) Forgiving people gives them joy and brings blessings to you; (4) Control your negative thoughts and emotions; (5) Money does not create happiness; (6) Good friends are the best medicine for unhappiness; (7) To make someone happy, share with them during their happy times and their sad times. Psychologists have researched these rules extensively and have found many examples of evidence that support these ideas. Research has found that gratitude is an excellent antidote to materialism. Research published in 2024 on adolescents who participated in gratitude interventions indicated fewer values associated with material possessions than adolescents who did not receive such an intervention (Zhang et al., 2024). Longitudinal studies also support that although money can lead to increased happiness, the impact of income on increased happiness begins to decline and becomes almost nonexistent after single men reach about $100,000 per year. (Killingsworth & Kahneman, 2023).

2.1.3 Virtue

Virtue represents moral excellence—the high degree of good character manifested through positive personal qualities and traits. Personal virtues contribute to improving individual and societal living conditions. There are several types of virtues: (1) intellectual virtue, related to thoughts that occur to the individual; (2) moral virtue, related to individual behaviors and actions; (3) wisdom, which is the ability to control and restrain oneself in certain situations; and (4) justice, which reflects fair treatment of others in similar situations (Erselcan, 2023). Virtue encompasses wisdom, courage, moderation, faith in God, love of doing good, and spreading peace and love among all. Recent research on gratitude and human flourishing confirms that virtue-based approaches to well-being—particularly those emphasizing moral emotions—contribute significantly to psychological health beyond traditional disease-model interventions (Sirois & Wood, 2025).

2.1.4 Spiritual Happiness

Spiritual happiness is the happiness generated by heart joy, conscience comfort, and certainty of benefits. It differs from sensory happiness, which originates from the senses and accompanying appetitive and irascible powers, whereas spiritual happiness arises from intellectual and imaginative powers. It is slow to disappear, slow to excite, remains for a long duration, and its seat is the heart (Roy & Konwar, 2020). The seat of spiritual happiness is the heart, and its source is intellectual power. Spiritual happiness is only achieved through connection with the soul and tranquility between the heart and soul.

Human nature is attracted to all that is beautiful and appealing. Beauty is defined as good character and refers to the spiritual and psychological dimensions inherent within the human soul. There are three categories of beauty: (1) material beauty—external beauty perceived by the five senses; (2) spiritual beauty—the beauty of soul and morals; and (3) situational beauty—the beautiful situation that highlights altruism, love, and selflessness for those you love. Contemporary research on spirituality and mental health among postgraduate students found that spirituality, gratitude, and forgiveness serve as direct and indirect predictors of psychological well-being, with meaning in life mediating these relationships (Anwar et al., 2025). This empirical evidence supports the theoretical assertion that spiritual happiness transcends material conditions and is fundamentally connected to meaning-making and transcendence.

2.1.5 Happiness and Success

A recurring question arises: Is there a difference between happiness and success? The answer is yes. Happiness is a psychological state of comfort, tranquility, self-satisfaction, and contentment with what God has decreed. Success, however, is the achievement of specific accomplishments—whether religious or worldly—that the individual sees clearly at personal, professional, and social levels. Happiness is feelings connected to striving for others; as faith increases, happiness increases, and the individual is enveloped in tranquility, serenity, and contentment. Success may be connected to striving for this world or striving for the hereafter. Therefore, happiness is enduring and continuous in the human soul overall, and it is an indicator of the human relationship with God. Happiness is a suitable environment for achieving success, while success does not necessarily accompany happiness. The successful person in worldly matters is not necessarily happy. Success is positive if connected to happiness and its aforementioned concept; it is negative and on the wrong path if it deviates from it. The secret of happiness, then, is faith in God. Happiness is a psychological state of self-satisfaction and contentment with what God has decreed, while success is the achievement of specific accomplishments (Sulayman, 2012).

Recent psychological research illuminates this distinction between hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Contentment—a distinct low-arousal positive emotion characterized by calmness, sufficiency, and acceptance of the present moment—has been empirically validated as separate from high-arousal happiness and more sustainable for long-term well-being (Cordaro et al., 2024). This scientific finding aligns with the philosophical distinction between fleeting success and enduring happiness grounded in meaning and purpose.

2.2 Job Engagement

Job engagement is the relationship between the employee(s) and the employer(s) whereby the employee(s) understand the goals of the organization they work for and are completely committed to reaching those goals through the work they do. The employer(s) respects employees, views their opinions/ideas as valuable, and includes them in decision-making (Jia, 2021). Job engagement is defined as one’s level of participation (intellectually and emotionally) in the group/organization. Employees who are engaged are more productive and generate more profit for the employer(s) compared to disengaged employees. Disengaged employees create a loss for the organization due to a lack of dedication or loyalty to the employer (Mishra, 2022).

The last few years have seen a number of studies with many of the core assumptions of the original framework receiving empirical support. For example, Nabhan and Munajat (2023) surveyed faculty members at Indonesian Islamic universities and found that work engagement and organizational commitment boost the impact that organizational identification has on job performance, demonstrating that employee work engagement is a significant catalyst for organisational success. Similarly, the Uganda Public Service was studied by Nuwagira et al. (2024), with both work engagement and organisational commitment having a positive, significant impact on employee performance and work engagement emerging as one of the most important factors in determining employee productivity within the public sector. Both of these studies provide strong empirical support for the Job-Demands Resource model in that, when engaged, employees invest their physical, cognitive, and emotional energy into their work roles.

There are a number of characteristics that define employees who develop and maintain job loyalty and job satisfaction: (1) Happy employee; (2) Fulfilled employee; (3) Satisfied employee; (4) Grateful employee; (5) Low absenteeism; (6) Concern for the organization's image; (7) Conservation of public funds; and (8) Employee does not leave their job (Mishra, 2022). Modern evidence supports this profile, as a recent study of 25,285 employees conducted by Santos et al. (2024) found that recognition has a significant positive effect on employee engagement (β = 0.394, p < 0.001) and transformational leadership helps increase both engagement and reduce burnout at the same time. In addition to this fact, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (2024) found that the combined government-wide Employee Engagement Index score for the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey had reached an all-time record of 73%, showing that organizations with comprehensive engagement practices experience substantial improvement in workforce commitment.

In contrast to the positive trends above, recent surveys have shown decreased employee engagement since 2023s level of 84.98% decreased to 80.65% in 2024 (Survey Initiative, 2025). The most significant decline in motivation occurred (-6.42 %) for the 35 and under age group; Gen Z was the group most affected with an approximate five (5) point drop in engagement from the prior year. These trends indicate that organizations need to continually invest in maintaining employee engagement. (Vasquez, 2024).

2.2.1 Job Satisfaction

Early twenty-first century research regarding job satisfaction has been underway since the early twentieth century, with research on job satisfaction emerging over the first three decades. While there are many different studies regarding job satisfaction, there is still little agreement on a clear, specific definition of job satisfaction because job satisfaction is closely associated with an individual's emotional state, and it is very difficult to measure the individual feelings associated with job satisfaction as individuals' emotions change from one situation to another. It is human nature to want to work; consequently, a person who is working will have job satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Al-Amri, 2017).

What is job satisfaction? Job satisfaction is a measure of job experiences based on a range of factors that are associated with the individual’s job, including acceptance of the job in terms of comfort, job satisfaction psychologically, and productivity as a result of the emotional connection to their job that allows the individual to work without boredom or distress. Job satisfaction is also the level of happiness and comfort that an individual feels when doing their job based on how much the individual expected from their job and how much he/she has achieved in terms of expectations (Al-Amri, 2017). Job satisfaction is what drives an individual to come to work and to perform at an acceptable level.

Job satisfaction refers to how people feel about their jobs and how they perceive their jobs are rewarding to them. Job satisfaction also comes from one's attitudes about different aspects of the job, such as (1) how management runs the organization; (2) the benefits offered to employees; (3) job safety; (4) the amount of responsibility and/or success associated with doing their job well and/or being recognized for their contributions. "Job satisfaction" continues to attract much attention from psychologists because workers spend so much time in career settings and need to understand the role job satisfaction has regarding workers' personal and professional lives. A growing belief is that improved job satisfaction should increase job performance, which provides benefits to both organisations and workers; therefore, the growing interest in researching job satisfaction (Abdul Hussein, 2016).

Research supports the idea that people who are happy in their work tend to have longer-lived than individuals who are unhappy; they suffer from fewer psychological disorders or are less sensitive to stress; experience greater levels of self-confidence; and have a stronger ability to integrate into society. The evidence indicates an association between job satisfication and life satisfaction; if you are happy at work, you are likely to be happy with your life/mojo, and if you are happy with your life/mojo you will likely be happy at work (Abdul Hussein, 2016).

The findings of Vieira et al. (2025) indicate there is a statistically significant positive relationship between employee job satisfaction and performance across various types of employment (face-to-face, hybrid, remote). Specifically, hybrid employees reported the highest levels of performance, followed closely by remote employees. These results inform human resource managers about the need to implement systems to create increased employee job satisfaction in order to increase the overall performance of the organization. Additionally, according to research conducted by the Pew Research Center (2024), 64% of workers indicated having a high level of satisfaction with their coworker relationships, while only 30% expressed having a high level of satisfaction with their wages. This suggests that social and relational to compensation play a larger role in contributing to employee job satisfaction than does compensation.

2.2.2 Career Development

The ongoing development of one's career is an ongoing process through which an individual improves their skill sets, abilities (knowledge), and expertise and subsequently advances their professional capabilities as well as advances their professional responsibilities. This occurs through the development of skills (new), opportunities for advancements (promotions), and an increase of responsibilities to enhance the ability of the individual to work with others, including other employees and customers/clients. Another way that an individual can further develop their leadership persona is through continuous professional growth and employment counseling, which supports an individual in being better prepared to react to the changing nature of their industry. Development of a career can take various forms, including individual development, company/agency development, and continuous learning, where each form aids in developing employees' capabilities to meet the demands of the job they perform (Haddad, 2008).

To develop a successful career, one must acquire a variety of skills and talents related to technology, as well as have the ability to solve problems and think critically. In addition, communication, time management and ability to work with others as part of a team are important for employees' development at work. The process of developing a career is broken down into four stages that include: evaluating your current situation; establishing short- and long-term career goals; taking action toward achieving your goals; and evaluating your performance throughout each stage of the process. All these processes have a number of influences on how well an individual develops their career including personality type, skills, education, etc., therefore making career development a critical component for all individuals looking for advancement and for improving productivity in organizations.

Recent studies have shown that building successful organizations also requires the development of people. For example, according to the 2024 Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn, almost all (90%) organisations are visibly concerned about employee retention, and the top strategy used by the vast majority of companies (96%) to retain high-performing employees is to provide them with learning opportunities (LinkedIn, 2024). Additionally, almost all (94%) employees indicated that they would remain with a company longer if that company was committed to their professional development, while only about less than one in three (29%) employees were satisfied with their current opportunities for advancement in their respective careers (Vasquez, 2024). These facts demonstrate the centrality of employee development in creating long-term engagement and retention.

2.2.3 Organizational Loyalty

In the past, when an individual started working at their very first job and entered through the doors of the organization that they were going to work for the rest of their life (Omar & Safi, 2005), it was common for him/her to think that they would be with this company until they retired. But now this has changed to where employees go from one job to another job in their lifetime. Employers have been complaining about the lack of loyalty from their employees to be loyal to the company that employs them no matter what other job opportunities there may be.

In the 21st century, employers must review their employee policies and try to build loyalty among employees to their organizations. An employee that is loyal to their organization identifies with it. For an employee to identify with an organization, they need to feel a sense of belonging—indeed, that they own their organization. If they have a sense of belonging, they will not want to leave their organization; they will not break away from their identity to become loyal. Instead, they will be engrained with loyalty, and this will be an important priority for the employee (Ahmad Maher, 2007).

The duty of creating and developing employee loyalty rests with the employers and governmental officials. In today's very broad competitive labour market (the Labour Market), where there is an abundance of functional skills, the employer can plant employee loyalty and reduce employee turnover by implementing:

Promoting from within: Providing employees with the opportunity to fill vacant positions within the company will create an environment where there is competition between workers and will motivate many workers that are competent to excel. A recent survey conducted in 2024 has shown that employees who have a clear path for promotion have a higher likelihood of staying with their employer than those who do not (LinkedIn 2024).

To develop your career, you need to invest in your own training and development. According to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report (2024), continuous learning opportunities (e.g., annual leadership development programs) are key retention strategies for employees.

Value employee requirements: This refers to valuing the employee’s right to create a balance between work and play. Research has indicated that those who believe they have achieved a successful work and personal life balance are 21% more likely to put in additional effort and are also 33% more likely to remain with an employer (Vasquez, 2024).

Developing a positive workplace: Providing employees with an inviting and supportive work environment. According to research, 93.5% of employees would remain with an organisation for five years if the culture is right (LinkedIn, 2024). Maintaining Open Lines of Communication: Maintaining open lines of communication between employees and upper management. New continuous assessment processes have replaced traditional annual performance reviews; organisations can now adjust and improve their operations on an ongoing basis (Vasquez, 2024).

The introduction of a system that effectively rewards all employees for their efforts. A recent study by Santos et al. (2024) found that 81% of employees reported that they are more likely to stay with an organization when they are recognized for their contributions.

Taking part in social activities: Employees are able to participate in a variety of social activities. Such participation is an important factor that keeps employees motivated to improve their connection and loyalty to their employer. When an organization participates in a social responsibility initiative, the organization reinforces to all employees that their work contributes to the greater good of the world and is recognized as being increasingly important by the current workforce. (Vasquez, 2023)

These strategies have been confirmed by current empirical studies. In one study, Santos et al. (2024) showed that 85% of employees said they are motivated to do their job to a greater extent if they are recognised by their employer, and that employees recognised by their manager are significantly more likely than their peers to remain employed with their respective organizations. The same study also provides evidence that flexible work arrangements are still essential, as 63% of employees said that they would accept lower pay to work from home, showing that having autonomy and work-life balance is often more powerful than monetary compensation in developing loyalty to an organization..

3.1 Descriptive Analysis of Study Variables

This section presents the descriptive statistics of the study variables, namely Happiness (comprising three dimensions: Virtue, Self-Management, and Eudaimonic Well-being) and Job Engagement, based on a sample of (N = 100) respondents.

Table 1: Summary of Descriptive Statistics

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the links between 3 factors of happiness (virtuous, self-managed and eudaimonic well-being) and 100 employees. Results of this study show that happiness is a multi-dimensional and accounts for a large amount of variability in job engagement. Specifically, the 3 factors of happiness accounted for approximately 83% of the total variance in employee levels of job engagement across all participants involved in this research.

The correlation analysis revealed very large positive correlations between all of the different components of happiness and job engagement. The strongest correlation to job engagement was for self-management, with a correlation coefficient of r = .90, followed by virtues, with an r = .87, and eudaimonic happiness, with an r = .78. The regression analysis indicated different predictive relationships with job engagement from the components of happiness. Specifically, self-management (β = .33) and eudaimonic happiness (β = .34) were both significant predictors of job engagement (p < .01) while virtues did not predict job engagement, despite having the highest degree of correlation to job engagement.

To improve employee engagement, the results of this study show organizations must focus on developing self-regulatory skills and creating meaningful work experiences. While ethics are important, it is unlikely that they will directly affect engagement until they are operationalized through concrete HR processes. This research adds to the literature in that happiness is more than just an outcome of engagement; it is a foundational resource to begin and sustain employee commitment. Subsequent research should use longitudinal methods to determine causal relationships and potential mediation pathways between virtue ethics and work outcomes...