Employees in Britain report higher levels of satisfaction in their work and lower levels of mental stress if interviewed on a Friday or a Saturday rather than on other days of the week, according to research by Dr Mark Taylor of the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex. The finding emerges even when allowing for differences in individuals, households, jobs and employer-related characteristics.
Workers were asked to express their overall satisfaction with their job on a scale of 1 (unsatisfied) to 7 (completely satisfied), and were also asked a range of questions designed to evaluate their psychological well-being.
Main Findings
– Men and women report higher levels of job satisfaction when interviewed on a Friday or Saturday than when interviewed on other days of the week.
– Over-work is the major contributor to low levels of job satisfaction among both men and women.
– Unemployment and deterioration in an individual’s financial situation are major causes of high levels of mental stress. The latter, for example, increases stress levels by about 12%, indicating that financial hardship has both psychological and material consequences for individuals.
