New research shows that 69% of UK employees are currently unhappy at work.
The purpose of the report is to gather insights from the “non-work related activities” campaign survey results. This survey was carried out on behalf of Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance and includes responses from 2101 individuals, focusing on how much time people spend at work doing non-work related activities; what these activities are and if they waste time at work because they are unhappy in their job.
In addition, respondents were asked if they thought their managers were lenient and what would make them feel more motivated to perform better and to be more productive.
To identify any trends, gender; age; industry worked and the region they reside in, were collected.
Of the 2,101 respondents surveyed, 61% said that the biggest distraction at work is gossiping to other co-workers. This was followed by 45% who said they spent time on Facebook and 44% using personal email.
Other admissions included 35% clock-watching; 29% making drinks or spending time in the kitchen to make the day go quicker; 25% using shopping and banking apps; 19% looking for other jobs and 17% taking bathroom breaks when not always needed.
The study shows that personal mental health is the largest distraction for younger workers aged 16-24, with 35% distracted by related symptoms when trying to work and younger employees tending to be unhappier at work than those that are older. Of those aged 55 and over, 43% stated they are always happy at work - compared to 22% of those aged between 16-24 years.
In general, men appear to be happier at work than women - 67% of men state they are unhappy against 71% of women.
The happiest at work are those in the East of England where 36% said they are happy - with the North West being the least happy at 22%.
Of those admitting to not doing their proper work, HR came out in front with 33% spending over two hours wasting time, compared to Education at 8% - the most dedicated industry.
Most people think that their manager is lenient with only 20% of them thinking that that their manager was not.
The older the person, the more productive they are and the less distracted they get. However, older people did tend to find that their managers are less lenient.
Andy Dodd - Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance - commented:
“Our survey has also highlighted that employees feel least motivated at work during winter, which is likely due to the weather, dark nights and activities that take place during this time. Although it can be hard as a business owner to energise staff all-year round, it’s important to take small steps to ensure that you are doing what you can to promote an exciting and rewarding culture in the workplace. This can be anything from improving internal communications within a business to effective incentive schemes.”
