Three quarters of Watford’s workforce “unhappy” (From Watford Observer)

Three quarters of Watford’s workforce “unhappy”

9:01am Tuesday 4th January 2011 in Business News

As many people return to work this morning after the festive break a survey has revealed that three quarters of Watford’s workforce feel unhappy in their jobs several times a week.

The survey, commissioned by national training provider, Lifetime, found that exactly half of Watford’s workforce feels anxious when they think about work and a further 24 per cent are depressed. Work worries are so extreme in the area that a huge 42 per cent say that they are reduced to tears on a weekly basis.

The findings come as the nation’s wellbeing has been a topic on everyone’s lips and national headlines have been swamped with news of workers’ “27 hour weekends”.

The survey, which questioned 3,000 working adults across the country, confirmed that this rings true for Watford with four out of five experiencing the “Monday blues” on Sunday.

Nigel Wallace, Director of Training at Lifetime, which delivers leisure training in Watford comments: “We spend the majority of our adult lives in the workplace so it is crucial for our state of mind, health and wellbeing that we associate positive emotion with our job. With happiness being closely linked to employee performance, it is worrying for Watford’s economy that such a large amount of the city’s workforce is so unhappy at work.”

Although over half of Watford workers wish they could wake up in a new job on Monday, a cautious 57 per cent are nervous about leaving a stable job during the recession. Wallace adds: “The start of the New Year is the perfect time to reconsider your career. Despite the economic downturn and reports of high unemployment there are sectors which are still growing and fitness is one of them. My advice is, if you are looking for a new career in a fun, progressive and rewarding industry, have a look at the leisure sector.”

With the broad range of re-training options available, it is not necessary for people to leave their current role in order to begin the retraining process. “We offer a range of government funded and open courses, many with flexible learning opportunities, which could open the door to a new career and lead to a happier state of mind,” concluded Wallace.