35% Of UK Workers ‘Unhappy’ At Work

Approximately 35% of British workers are unhappy in their jobs, equating to 6.5 million people, new research has revealed.

In a study conducted by Perkbox, two thirds of employees stated that perks and benefits were important to their happiness at work.

Meanwhile, 26% of those questioned said a lack of appreciation and reward of good work was their main grievance in the workplace.

The research also identified a significant difference between the perception of so-called Millennials and older generations, with 78% of 18 to 24 year olds stating that perks and benefits are either important or very important to their overall job satisfaction, compared to 58% among 55 to 64 year olds.

There are a host of benefits and rewards that employers can offer their employees, but training could be a key to helping people not only gain greater satisfaction from their jobs, but also progress in their chosen field.

Engaging a dedicated training provider to run specific sessions for different groups of employees is just one option that businesses could look at.

CEO and co-founder of Perkbox Saurav Chopra explained that although pay may initially attract people to a job, this is rarely what incentivises people to stay with a company. “It’s the non-financial factors that come with reward and recognition that engages and retains workers in the long run,” he added.

And with research published by the TUC earlier this month indicating that stress is the top health and safety concerns among businesses in the UK, it may be time for companies to take a look at how they’re looking after their employees’ health and wellbeing, and what they’re doing to retain talent.