Around a year ago YouGov conducted a poll in which they asked Britons a series of questions about how much they loved (or hated) their jobs. The results drew some interesting conclusions to say the least. We’ve got these and a breakdown of factors to consider about your job. Ask yourself: Are you really happy at work?
Stats
The basics of the facts are these: 17% of people love their job whilst 6% hate it. This proves that the majority or Britons are so-so about their employment and while it could be better a lukewarm 45% of them answered that they merely ‘liked’ their job. It stands to reason that while work is work, the figures gathered from previous pollers such as Gallop that around 85% of people hate their jobs are inaccurate at least for Britain.
Pay
Let’s now consider the point of pay. While there was a pretty even split amongst those who were questioned as to whether they felt they were paid well or badly, the demographics of those answering tell a different story. Those in the middle classes reckon they are paid better than those from working class households and while men are less satisfied with their work they do consider themselves paid reasonably well whereas there is an inverse trend for women.
The results combine interestingly. The surprising figures of about 33% of people are in jobs they like that pay well and around 5% are in jobs that they do not like that pay very little. The results seemingly showing that more people are fully satisfied than are completely dissatisfied.
The rarest combination of these statistics is in fact those people who are in a well paid job that they hate which is only around 2%. Furthermore only around 3% are in poorly paid jobs that they love.
Pay & Happiness
What the statistics just mentioned perhaps could be said to be indicative of is the fact that pay and satisfaction are intrinsically linked in the workplace with the majority of people really loving their jobs if they are also being paid well. The relation between satisfaction and pay is not clear cut but there does seem to be something of a correlation.
On the subject of whether or not the two are completely separate the poll doesn’t offer anything other than the basic stats. They do however give those being questioned the option of being in a poorly paid job they love or a well paid job they hate. Around 64% chose a poorly paid job they loved.
Job Satisfaction & Skill
Moreover despite the clear link between pay and enjoyment, if those participating in the poll had to choose they would choose the latter. One may think this makes logical sense as the aim of a higher wage packet is essentially just to maximize happiness of some kind, however let us consider pride and skill and those who genuinely want to help others. A surgeon earns less than a software developer in many cases but his connection to his patients and dedication to his craft clearly will affect his attitude toward his work. (That’s not to say the developer wouldn’t be as devoted.)
It is for obvious reason a known fact that some jobs require more skill. If someone has trained for 10 years to afford their job title and role in the workplace, they’ll likely be satisfied once they achieve that.
All roles require some level of skill and for some, who don’t know what they want to do, experiencing working in different environments may be of benefit.
Life Work Balance
There are more than a few aspects to stats and polls. We spend on average 40+ years working, as such, for the majority, family will undoubtedly influence decision making and happiness. Flexible working hours or being able to work from home to raise children will also be advantageous.
Travel
For those who are more footloose, travel may be a perk in the workplace. It is often the case that being able to see other countries and cultures is paramount when factoring in happiness and being able to work (and so afford) this synonymous for many may be a huge draw, beyond pay and roots back home.
Commute or No Commute
Travel itself concerning how to get to work will be a factor in one’s happiness. Whether you’re driving or using public transport or even walking for that matter, we’ve got more stats on that here. Happiness pertaining to selecting the right job for you will also be inextricably linked to how you get there.
Company Culture
For many Where they work is more important than just pay and their role. If the company culture reflects your own mindset, you’ll likely feel right at home. This further extends to environment (casual, professional, colourful, playful) and approach (fast paced, target based, small team and so on). Rewards are also a major factor. A study revealed that pizza Friday incentivised staff ore than extra money in their pa packet showing that people want to be treated like human beings and not machines paid to perform.
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Let us know your thoughts. Do you love your job or hate it with a passion?! Would you take a job you disliked and compromise your own happiness for the sake of pay? What’s the lowest paid role you’d accept if it meant you could bag that ‘dream job’?
