Almost five million Brits admit to a touch of ergophobia (fear of work!)[1] with some of the nations top earners, lawyers and bankers,[2] dreading the morning alarm clock the most.
City and Guilds, the UKs authority on vocational education and training issues, compiles the Happiness Index annually to track the satisfaction and fulfilment of the countrys workforce. The City and Guilds Happiness Index is now in its fifth year and surveyed 1,000 UK employees, revealing that nearly a third of people (32%) claimed that they were not particularly happy at work giving a satisfaction rating of less than 7 out of 10. At the bottom of the pile are HR managers (2%), lawyers (4%) and secretaries (4%).
So what factors make us whistle while we work? Nineteen per cent of us would like to do something worthwhile and almost one in six (15%) just want a more flexible workday. However, the report also shows a need to focus on training at work with, personal development identified as a key contributor to happiness: one in ten (8%) of those surveyed cited that training and development would make their role more satisfying.
The survey also shows that employers are (as one might suspected) out of touch when it comes to gauging employee happiness but not in the way you might think! Bosses scored their workers happiness lower than workers rated it themselves.[3] And when asked what they felt was key to a happier workforce, a quarter of employers (26%) said financial incentive, while only 17% of their employees thought the same.
Chris Humphries, director general of City and Guilds, comments on the results:
When asked to rate their workplace in terms of happiness, almost a third of people earning in the 10 - 15k bracket gave their job a 10 out of 10.
Compare that to workers in the 40 - 45k income bracket, where less than 5% gave their workplace a 10. This indicates, and it may come as a surprise to some, that financial reward doesnt always mean a happier working environment or employee.
However, its not all bad news as the City and Guilds Happiness Index also reveals a more contented side to our British workforce as the dawn of a new workday brings joy to hairdressers. A cheerful 57% admitting they look forward to returning to work after a day off. The nations happy coiffeurs are closely followed by beauty therapists, early years and childcare workers and plumbers.[4]
And nearly half of the happiest bunch in the pile, the hairdressers, scored training in their workplace with a whopping 10 out of 10! Whereas the sore secretaries who rate their workplace happiness a sorry 6 out of 10, the lowest score in the study, gave workplace training and development a measly 5!
The City and Guilds Happiness Index shows a clear link between workplace happiness and training claims Humphries: A quarter of all UK workers[5] 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.
Its about time employers woke up to that fact as we all know a happy workforce is a productive workforce. Moreover, investing in training makes workers feel appreciated and, consequently, more loyal.
A lot of companies, including City and 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 thats a lot of time to be spending in a job where youre not happy.
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Footnotes
[1] Of the 29million employees in the UK(ONS 2007 statistics on employment), 16% (according to the 2007 Happiness Index) fear the returning to work
[2] 41% of bankers and 32% of lawyers are below the national average in terms of workplace happiness
[3] Employers average score for workers happiness is 6.7 out of 10
[4] 50% of early years and childcare workers, 38% of plumbers and 35% of beauty therapists actively looking forward to returning to work
[5] City and Guilds Train to Retain Report August 2006
Work terrors haunt one in five british workers
Employers urged to focus on training to increase job satisfaction
