A quarter (27%) of employees feel that work brings them down, according to research by Robertson Cooper and the Bank Workers Charity (BWC).
The survey of 1,500 British workers found that 10% of those polled do not have even one good day at work each week. Of those who are not happy at work, 42% felt their manager was inaccessible, only 16% thought their manager was people-focused, and only 35% thought they were liked by their manager.
Overall, 57% of people said work makes them happy, and 55% of bank workers agreed. One in five (18%) people say they have five good days per week, while 12% of bank workers say they have that many happy days.
Paul Barrett, head of wellbeing at the Bank Workers Charity, outlined what the research means in his industry. “Just as in the wider population, the research presents a mixed picture among bank workers,” he said. “At BWC we’d like to see line managers in banks display more people-focused behaviours at work, to balance the task-centred management style identified in the report.
“On the other hand, we welcome the fact that bank workers appear to have a strong sense of purpose in their work and enjoy high-quality relationships with their colleagues, both of which are highly beneficial to their wellbeing.”
Psychologist and head of client experience at Robertson Cooper Paula Brockwell explained that taking a few moments to consider wellbeing can have a big impact. “Work is no longer about just getting the job done and we need to ask ourselves more often ‘did I have a good day at work’?” she said. “It’s a simple question – but it’s linked to a broad concept of employee wellbeing, including physical and emotional energy, health, sustainable job satisfaction, and performance.
“What we need organisations to understand is that employee wellbeing is intrinsically linked to business priorities. Business goals cannot be met if people are not happy, healthy and thriving.”
