For those not looking forward to work after the bank holiday, you are not alone.
According to a survey of employees, most of us are disgruntled and dissatisfied in our jobs and almost half of us struggle to summon the enthusiasm to climb out of bed in the morning.
Over the past three years, workplace happiness has dropped steeply. A survey by Personal Group, an Aim-listed provider of human resources services for business and the public sector, found that, in 2017, 51 per cent of staff reported being happy most of the time at work. Today only 41 per cent of us are and 26 per cent of us are almost never happy in the workplace at all.
Staff morale has been linked with productivity and corporate success in several surveys and this has led to the development of a new employee performance management industry, with companies such as Hibob, Engagedly and Appraisd.
Deborah Frost, 52, chief executive of Personal Group, said: “On the whole, people inherently want to do a good job, and our role as employers should be to recognise and reward this effort. More recognition remains one of the most sought-after workplace benefits, so if companies want to remain competitive, it’s vital they listen to their employees.”
The latest survey suggests employers have a lot of work to do. Forty-seven per cent of staff are not keen to get to work in the morning, up from 36 per cent in 2017. Happiness is determined to a large degree by age and seniority, with young, low-ranking frontline staff the most disillusioned. Among company directors, 68 per cent are happy most of the time at work, compared with only 37 per cent of frontline staff.
