Revealed: the happiest places to work in the UK

Recruitment agency Robert Half has discovered that workers in Yorkshire and the Humber are happiest and tend to find their work meaningful

Revealed: the happiest places to work in the UK

It’s no secret that happy workers make for more productive and loyal employees. And fortunately for entrepreneurs looking to boost staff morale, recruitment firm Robert Half has just identified the regions in the UK containing the happiest workers. It’s also suggested some explanations for their good spirits.

Having surveyed over 2,000 people on behalf of Robert Half, Happiness Works, the research agency, revealed that people in Yorkshire and the Humber are the happiest workers in the country, with 70% of people saying that they’re generally happy during office hours. This was followed by the east of England and the Midlands, where 66% and 65% respectively said the same. In both the north of England and London, 63% of workers said they were happy while at work. Scotland and the south of England ranked at the bottom of the list, with only 56% and 60% respectively saying they were happy on the job.

A closer look at the research also uncovered potential reasons why people weren’t going to work with a spring in their step. For instance, one in six staff members in Scotland and the south of England said their work wasn’t interesting. In fact, 14% of southerners claimed they don’t do anything significant during office hours. Additionally, over a quarter of those working in the south said they don’t have good friends in the office or get on with their teams. In Scotland one in seven felt the same way.

Looking at the other side of the spectrum, the researchers revealed that 73% of workers in Yorkshire and the Humber felt that their work was meaningful. That number was almost as high in London, where 71% felt a sense of accomplishment compared to the national average of 63%. Meanwhile, 35% of Londoners were stressed out by their work, slightly above the national average of 31%.

Commenting on the research, Phil Sheridan, senior managing director at Robert Half UK, said six things could ensure the happiness of employees: making sure the job and company were the right fit, having a sense of empowerment, feeling appreciated, doing interesting and meaningful work, feeling that workplace practices were fair and enjoying positive relationships with colleagues. Sheridan said ticking these six boxes would benefit startups too as happy employees “are more engaged, interested and committed”. He continued: “All organisations that want to be successful must make it a priority to introduce policies and initiatives that improve team rapport, make employees feel fulfilled and improve how happy workers feel in their job on a day-to-day basis.”

Encouraging fairness, facilitating positive relationships and helping employees find meaning in their work? Sounds like good advice to us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Johansson
Eric Johansson
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