Three million British workers say they HATE their current job

4 years ago

Career

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Three million British workers HATE their current job, and feel trapped with no way out – and those stuck inside all day are most likely to be unhappy.

A study of 2,000 employed adults found one in 10 actively dislike their work, blaming boredom, their colleagues and lack of praise.

But while just three per cent of those who spend the majority of their time working outside are unhappy in their job, this rises to more than 12 per cent of people who earn their crust inside.

Unhappy and stuck British workers

And more than half of all respondents feel they are ‘stuck’ in their role for the foreseeable future, regardless of how unhappy they are.

It also emerged the average adult spends just under seven hours of their working day inside.

As a result, 26 per cent would like to have a job where they could spend more time outdoors, while 30 per cent would like to be more active.

The research was commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in line with the launch of their new online careers resource, and found a fifth of people said a lack of knowledge about roles in the industry puts them off jobs in horticulture.

Enriching nature

A spokesperson for RHS said: “It’s well known that spending time outside close to nature and working with plants is great for mental health.

“Tending to a garden and working in horticulture can be really enriching both physically and mentally.

“The vast majority of roles, both inside and outside, in horticulture are helping us do positive things for the environment, from finding out how plants can mitigate pollution and flooding issues to looking at supporting wildlife.”

The research also found a quarter would also be more likely to consider a career in horticulture if they felt they were going to be helping the environment.

Boost to wellbeing

And a further 25 per cent think doing so would give a huge boost to their mental wellbeing.

It was revealed 44 per cent of those currently unhappy in their work life describe it as boring, and 17 per cent of office workers hate staring at a screen all day.

For more than a quarter, however, it’s their colleagues which are the single worst thing about where they work.

As a result of their unhappiness, three in 10 of all respondents have seriously considered changing careers to find something which gets them outside more often.

Some of the top outdoor-based jobs people would love to try their hand at include being a garden designer, florist, or a general landscaping expert, according to the research.

RHS’ spokesperson added: “There are so many rewarding roles in this wonderful industry and we hope people enjoy our new online careers resource to find out more.

“The correct skills and knowledge are vital to the horticultural sector, however there is currently a horticultural skills gap in the UK.

“In a separate piece of research we recently found out the requirement for skills in the horticultural industry are expected to increase by 23 per cent in the next two years.”

Find out more about the RHS’ new online careers resource here – rhs.org.uk/careersinhorticulture