The best UK industries for employee happiness and productivity

The best UK industries for employee happiness and productivity

VoM News Desk | August 8, 2024 | 10:38 PM IST | Articles/Editorials, Featured by VoM, Featured Edition | Follow on Google News

The best UK industries for employee happiness and productivity

The best UK industries for employee happiness and productivity

With search trends for ‘flexible work arrangement’ and ‘healthy work-life balance’ increasing by over 5,000% in the UK, workplace well-being is becoming a critical focus for businesses, yet it remains a challenging goal to achieve. 

In response, Digital PR Agency has created a ranking of industries with the happiest employees, highlighting where different sectors stand in terms of employee satisfaction. Discover which industries excel in fostering a positive work environment and where your own job ranks in terms of workplace happiness.

The top industries with the happiest workers:

Please see the full dataset here.

The Digital PR Agency analysed real-time happiness ratings from Workl.com and categorised each industry into tiers ranging from “Ecstatic” to “Satisfied.”

1. Ecstatic: Technology (75-100%)

The Digital PR Agency can reveal  that the Technology industry is the happiest, with a happiness score of 76% – making it the only industry to land in the “Ecstatic” tier (75-100% happiness score). 

Technology stands out as one of the best industries for remote and flexible work, needing just a desk, a computer and a good internet connection. Forbes revealed in a study that happiness levels increase by 20% when employees work remotely, making work-life balance easier. Additionally, tech jobs are in high demand and often offer substantial salaries further enhancing quality of life.

2. Thrilled: Marketing, Finance, Charities and Construction (73-74%) 

Marketing and Advertising leads the Thrilled tier with a 74% happiness score, according to Workl.com. Financial Services, Non-Profit Organisations and Charities and Construction and Building Materials follow closely behind with a happiness rating of 73%. 

Although these industries have little in common, good management, as well as an important social environment, plays a crucial part in employees’ happiness as revealed by a study from the University of East Anglia.

3. Very Happy: Entertainment, Real Estate, Rental, Architecture, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Energy (71-72%) 

Entertainment and Media, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing narrowly missed out on the Thrilled tier with a happiness score of 72%, with Architecture and Design, Manufacturing and Services, Hospitality, Energy and Utilities achieving a happiness score of 71%. Despite mid-level salaries in the Hospitality sector receiving a pay squeeze earlier this year, thanks to improved employee benefits they are now happier at work than they were last year. Since flexible working hours enhance workers happiness, the Media sector has been a trailblazer, implementing these practices several years ago.

4. Content: Education, Travel, Legal, Telecom, Health, Agriculture, Animals, Forestry, Fishing, Public Sector, Government and Transportation (69-70%) 

Education and Research, Travel and Leisure, Legal Services, Telecommunications and Publishing, Health and Social Care, and Agriculture, Animals, Forestry, and Fishing all achieved a happiness score of 70%. This lower score is likely due to the long hours and stress associated with jobs from this industry. A survey found that social workers need to work over 80 hours a week to make ends meet. Partners at law firms are working up to 263 hours more a year than they did in 2014 while 94% of teachers cite high workload as a significant reason for considering leaving the state education sector.. Meanwhile, Manufacturing of Consumer Goods, Public Sector and Government, and Transportation and Logistics scored 69%. 

5. Satisfied: Chemicals, Mining, Wholesale, Retail, Defence (67-68%) 

The least happy industries according to the Digital PR Agency were Chemicals, Mining and Metals Manufacturing and Wholesale scored  68% while Retail, and the Defence industry achieved a mere 67%.

It is unsurprising to see Retail employees in this tier, after an industry report revealed that only a little more than half of retail workers say they’re happy or find their work meaningful, and 72% admitting to regularly being bored. 

VoM News Desk

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