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Monday 20 March 2017 11:13 am

International Day of Happiness: Over one third of UK adults are unhappy at work, survey reveals

By: Caitlin Morrison

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It might be International Day of Happiness, but for more than one third of the UK's workers every day is unhappy, if new research is to be believed. 

According to a survey of 2,000 full-time employees, conducted by people management firm Lee Hecht Harrison Penna, 36 per cent of workers view work in negative terms, while 14 per cent associate work with being unhappy and nine per cent would describe their work as "horrible".

Anxiety was commonly cited as a cause of unhappiness at work, affecting 20 per cent of those surveyed, and it was a bigger problem among women: 25 per cent of women said their work caused them anxiety, against 16 per cent of men.

Meanwhile, there was some (relatively) good news for London workers, as the research revealed the capital is home to happiest employees, with just 31 per cent seeing their jobs in a negative light.

Workers in the south west are the least happy, with 42 per cent failing to see the bright side to their careers.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the majority of UK workers were looking for a new job, with almost 40 per cent saying it was because they didn't like their current role.

"With our working life and private life becoming increasingly integrated, negativity and unhappiness at work can easily spill over and become all consuming," said Nick Goldberg, chief executive at Lee Hecht Harrison Penna.

"While it is encouraging to see that 38 per cent of employees have only positive things to say about work, our research also shows that more needs to be done by both the employee and employer to improve workplace happiness.

"Today marks a good day for employees to ask themselves if they are truly happy at work, and if not ask themselves why and what steps they can take to address it."

And if you are in the market for a change, these are the top 10 cities to find a job in this year. 

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