Although almost five million Brits admit to a touch of ergophobia (fear of work), the good news is that bosses think the situation is worse than it is – scoring their workers’ happiness lower than workers rate it themselves.
The finding comes from City & Guilds latest Happiness Index, the annual survey which tracks the satisfaction and fulfilment of the country’s workforce.
Top of the list for factors that make us whistle while we work is ‘doing something worthwhile’ – cited by 19 per cent, while 15 per cent just want a flexible work day.
Meanwhile, 26 per cent of bosses thought that financial incentives made for a happier workforce, compared to 17 per cent of workers.
Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, said: “When asked to rate their workplace in terms of happiness, almost a third of people earning in the £10k-£15k bracket gave their job a ten out of ten.
“Compare that to workers in the £40k-£45k income bracket, where less than 5 per cent gave their workplace a ten. This indicates, and it may come as a surprise to some, that financial reward doesn’t always mean a happier working environment or employee.”
Top of the happiness stakes are hairdressers with 57 per cent saying they looked forward to returning to work after a day off. They’re closely followed by beauty therapists, early years and childcare workers and plumbers.
As you’d expect from City & Guilds, the Happiness Index pays close attention to training – and says there’s a clear link.
“A quarter of all UK workers have, or would, leave a position because of a lack of training and these results clearly demonstrate that some of the happiest workers are those who feel they have a lot of opportunities for professional development,” says Humphries.
“A lot of companies, including City & Guilds, are placing increasing importance on the happiness and fulfilment of their staff. And rightly so. Most workers spend an average of 37 hours at work every week – which is almost two thousand hours per year, and that’s a lot of time to be spending in a job where you’re not happy.”
