New Research Suggests 6.5m People Are Unhappy at Work

New research suggests that around 30% of the UK’s working population are unhappy at work, and that staff benefits are a root cause.

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The research revealed that the unhappiest workers are in Yorkshire and the Humber where 42% claim not to be happy while the happiest workers hail from the East Midlands with a massive 80% claim to be happy with their job.

Additionally, the research from workplace benefits provider Perkbox found that men are more likely than women to tell their boss if they are unhappy at work, and younger workers are more likely to be motivated by company perks and benefits when compared to the older generation.

Saurav Chopra, CEO and Co-founder at Perkbox, said: “This research indicates the scale of unhappiness in workers within UK businesses, and goes some way into revealing some of the causes of the nation’s general productivity issues. A single disengaged worker, irrespective of sector, can cost a business over £3K annually in sick leave, lost productivity, training and recruitment.

“This cost spirals into six figures if the organisation employs over a 1,000 people. Investment in employee health, well-being and engagement via perks and benefits is often perceived as a costly, non-critical ‘nice-to-have’ rather than an intrinsic tool for incentivising, retaining and recruiting talent. Yet most research already in the public domain indicates that while remuneration might instantly gratify and sway potential employees into accepting a job offer, it’s the non-financial factors that come with reward and recognition that engages and retains workers in the long run.

“Satisfied workers yield dividends in terms of engagement, loyalty and morale. Quite simply, happy teams accomplish great things.”

How Happy Are Your Staff?

The figures presented in this new research bring forward and interesting question – is your business doing all it can to keep staff happy?

Many businesses across the UK are switching their HR practices to self-service software, to help them manage things such as absences and reward statements, as these are often indicators of job satisfaction. However, really good HR software can do much more, and IRIS HR ticks these boxes.

IRIS HR comes with a range of features including detailed employee benefits reporting to help your business do all it can to help your workforce feel happy at work.

Click below to arrange your free, no-obligation software demonstration of IRIS by one of our specialist team.

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Stephanie Coward

Managing Director, HCM

Stephanie Coward is Managing Director for HCM at IRIS, where she leads the strategy, innovation and growth of the organisation’s HR and payroll portfolio. She is responsible for positioning IRIS as a trusted partner to HR professionals and ensuring its solutions support the evolving needs of modern workforces.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the technology sector, Stephanie brings deep commercial and operational expertise, with a passion for improving the employee experience through technology.

Stephanie is committed to advancing IRIS’ HCM offering and helping organisations build more resilient, empowered workforces.