Spread a little happiness as the hours fly by

Although almost five million Brits admit to a touch of ergophobia (fear of work), the good news is that bosses think the situation is worse than it is – scoring their workers’ happiness lower than workers rate it themselves.

The finding comes from City & Guilds latest Happiness Index, the annual survey which tracks the satisfaction and fulfilment of the country’s workforce.

Top of the list for factors that make us whistle while we work is ‘doing something worthwhile’ – cited by 19 per cent, while 15 per cent just want a flexible work day.

Meanwhile, 26 per cent of bosses thought that financial incentives made for a happier workforce, compared to 17 per cent of workers.

Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, said: “When asked to rate their workplace in terms of happiness, almost a third of people earning in the £10k-£15k bracket gave their job a ten out of ten.

“Compare that to workers in the £40k-£45k income bracket, where less than 5 per cent gave their workplace a ten.