A recent survey conducted by IONOS found that out of 500 British participants, most were discontent with their careers. Their solution? Self-employment. Fifty-nine percent stated that they believe self-employed people to be happier than those employed.
The study also looked into what it is about the participants’ jobs that they are unhappy with, and dug deep to explore what their dream careers would actually be. The results were surprising.
Women want more acknowledgement in the workplace
The participants of the study were split – 50% were male, and 50% were female. The differences between the sexes and their views on work were evident. The female participants do not feel seen as equals and consider their working conditions somewhat unfair. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more women than men lost their jobs.
Recognition at work was also a recurring theme amongst the female participants, who said that they receive little encouragement in their current careers.
And that’s not the only difference between the male and female participants; 70% of the women stated that a work-life balance was the most essential aspect of their careers, whereas 69% of the men instead stated high income.
Flat hierarchies are not popular
The older participants stated flat hierarchies are irrelevant when considering working conditions whereas the younger participants believed it was a major contributing factor to their happiness in their careers – along with a high income.
Dream job criteria
When asked to rank the most important aspects of their ‘dream’ jobs, the participants ranked the incentives as follows:
Work-life balance (67%)
High income (65%)
Flexible working hours (61%)
What is holding the British public back from fulfilling their aspirations of self-employment?
Despite over half of the participants stating that they aspire to run their own businesses, there are only 4.35 million (2021) self-employed people in the UK. What is holding them back? It turns out fear of financial loss and a lack of accessible funding are the most common obstacles for potential entrepreneurs.
Read more about what people want from their careers
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed the workplace and it’s no surprise that employee satisfaction is no longer what it was once – the great resignation speaks for itself. The IONOS SE study explored how to increase employee mentality and looks at the impacts of the pandemic on the working lives of the British people. To find out more, download the free British Dreams and Wishes: A Business Survey.