While some may be feeling the love this Valentine’s Day, recent research from CV-Library has found that the majority of UK professionals have fallen out of love with their jobs. In fact, half (55.6 per cent) confessed that they aren’t happy in their current roles, despite 92.7 per cent believing that it’s important to love what you do.
The survey of over 1,200 workers sought to reveal how professionals felt about their current jobs. Despite many being unhappy in their roles, over half (57.4 per cent) agreed that quitting isn’t always the best solution. When asked to identify why they dislike their positions, respondents cited the following:
Not being paid enough – 38.9 per cent
No room for progression – 32.6 per cent
Poor company culture – 30.8 per cent
Poor work-life balance – 21.8 per cent
Boring daily routine – 18.7 per cent
Disliking the working hours – 15.3 per cent
Disliking the boss – 14.9 per cent
Having a long commute – 13.6 per cent
Disliking colleagues – 5 per cent
Issues in private life affecting work life – 4.8 per cent
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments, ‘It’s worrying to learn that so many professionals are unhappy in their current roles. Job satisfaction plays an important part of keeping staff motivated and productive. As an employer, it’s vital that you are able to spot the signs of dissatisfaction or low morale and combat these issues right away. Tackling these early on can help to get staff back on track and start enjoying their work again.
‘It’s clear that company culture, pay and progression are important to professionals. Be sure that you’re offering fair and competitive packages and that these tie in with creating a great working environment. Hosting social events is a great way to help staff blow off steam and build good relationships with their co-workers. This also goes a long way towards creating a great company culture.’
Interestingly, 53.1 per cent of professionals said that you should always take positive steps to try and make things better before you give up on your job. Respondents revealed what they believe are the top ways to address problems at work, with speaking to your manager (63.9 per cent) coming out on top. This was followed by reflecting on what’s making you unhappy (51.8 per cent), putting yourself forward for new projects (26.7 per cent) and speaking to a trusted colleague (25.5 per cent).
Biggins concludes, ‘It’s great to see that professionals aren’t giving up without a fight, with many recognising that quitting is not always the answer. Being able to speak openly about your job is important and as such, employers need to keep the lines of communication open if they hope to address any issues in a timely and effective manner.’
Further reading on being happy in your current jobs
