According to a VHI Health Insights Report published today, 37% of corporate employees, in Ireland, report they are unhappy with their working lives, while 49% class themselves as dissatisfied.
The report titled, ‘The Pursuit of Happiness: Exploring the Dynamics of Happiness in the Workplace’ also found that the proportion of corporate employees who are unhappy is relatively consistent across all demographics, except in relation to gender, where 42% of women describe themselves as unhappy compared to 32% of men. 22% of women also report high stress levels, with mothers in particular experiencing a unique set of pressures brought on by the multiple roles of employee, partner and mother.
Other findings from the report show that 19% of corporate employees can be classified as high stress group, with more than half agreeing that health problems may increase in the future if current stress levels persist.
Commenting on the report, Head of Wellness at VHI, Dr David Morris, said: “In the past happiness and life satisfaction might have been viewed as vague concepts but as awareness grows of their implications for health so does their increasing significance in relation to individual wellbeing, and, therefore, the individual’s capacity to perform and participate fully in day-to-day life, becomes apparent.”
Dr Morris added: "Overall people with higher innate levels of well-being seem on average to do better over the course of life, in a number of areas, in particular, health, income and social behaviours. The challenge for the workplace is how to create an environment that will consistently contribute to greater engagement of corporate employees with consequent enhancement of work and life satisfaction levels.”
Source: www.businessworld.ie