Over a third of Brits are unhappy in their job, UK’s largest work happiness study finds

Published On: Tue, Jan 25th, 2022

Over a third of Brits are unhappy in their job, UK’s largest work happiness study finds

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At the other end of the scale, education was deemed the happiest sector – with workers scoring high on having a clear sense of purpose.

This was followed closely workers in aerospace and defence, with government and public administration also scoring high on work contentment.

The insights come from Indeed’s Work Happiness Score – which measures how people feel at work and why, and displays data for more than 1,800 organisations in the UK across 25 different sectors.

It measures happiness by allowing current and former employees to rate companies on a scale of one to five, based on a simple statement: “I feel happy at work most of the time”.

The survey also asks about belonging, appreciation, inclusion, support, purpose, energy, learning, achievement, trust, flexibility, compensation, stress level, satisfaction, and manager support.

Indeed’s Work Happiness Score was developed with guidance from Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics at Saïd Business School and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, and Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at University of California.

In response to the findings, almost 100 British workers demonstrated in London’s Trafalgar Square today (Tuesday 25th January).

The crowd – comprising of workers from 11 different sectors including healthcare, construction and real estate – held balloons to communicate the nation’s feelings towards their jobs using the universal language of emojis.

Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve said: “Happiness at work is critical to people’s wellbeing for obvious reasons, but it is also a driver of their productivity and success.

“So, employers are well advised to get the emotional pulse of their organisation and have a frequent measure of workplace happiness.

“That’s why I’m thrilled to have been involved in developing Indeed’s Work Happiness Score, to offer employers and employees robust measures of work happiness – and its drivers – that can be readily compared across thousands of organisations.

“This is only the beginning, and I’m so excited to witness the positive impact this score has on fostering happy and thriving workforces across the UK and globally.”

Supporting research of 2,000 employees, conducted via OnePoll, found the average worker spends a fifth of every year feeling unhappy in their role.

Worryingly, one in ten (11 percent) even start feeling unhappy less than six months into a new job.

But it seems unhappiness in the workplace isn’t restricted to the working day – it has a knock-on effect on personal lives too.

More than a quarter (28 percent) admit they struggle to find enjoyment in other aspects of their lives due to feeling unhappy at work, while 22 percent have taken work frustrations out on their partners.

Almost three-quarters (72 percent) feel their workplace unhappiness has negatively impacted their physical and/or mental wellbeing, with 44 percent losing sleep and 43 percent lacking energy.

A third (33 percent) of unhappy workers have consequently experienced physical symptoms, with headaches and migraines (55 percent) the most common.

LaFawn Davis, Senior Vice President, Environmental, Social and Governance at Indeed, said: “Happiness should not be a privilege but when it comes to work, it’s a fundamental right.

“Job postings in the UK have soared above their pre-pandemic level. As the labour market shakes off the ill-effects of the pandemic, the adjustments caused by Covid-19 have tipped the balance of power in favour of jobseekers.

“For employers, this means taking a holistic approach to employee wellbeing – and our Work Happiness Score will make it easier for them to measure drivers of happiness to see where improvements can be made.

“While many UK workers are unhappy, there are reasons for optimism. An overwhelming majority of people believe happiness at work is possible, and while some sectors are more satisfied than others, we know happiness is possible in all workplaces.”

TOP 10 HAPPIEST SECTORS: