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    British workers among saddest and most disengaged in Europe
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    British workers among saddest and most disengaged in Europe

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    1. Insane-Membrane-92 on

      >“70 per cent of the variance in engagement is due to the direct manager of the team. Unless the UK changes its philosophy on manager selection and development, the problems will persist,” he continued.

      Let’s have some of those “grindset” folks in here telling us how this is the wrong attitude. Yet, ask anyone who’s worked under a shitty boss, or even a mediocre boss, it’s absolutely crucial to loss of meaning at work.

    2. SchmittVanDean on

      I mean fine, but at least Labour, the Conservatives and Reform are united in declaring that more intense austerity will solve the problems caused by austerity.

    3. RacistCarrot on

      When employers want more for the same or less than 10 years ago it’s hardly surprising. What are other countries doing differently?

    4. -NiMa- on

      The main issue is that the cost of living has skyrocketed, while wages haven’t kept up there’s a clear disconnect between the two.

    5. Von_Uber on

      Wages haven’t kept up with inflation, let alone improved so it’s hardly a surprise.

    6. Important_Material92 on

      I think this revolves around the lack of disposable income. No matter how hard you work in the UK it seems your financial spare capacity will surely be eaten up by housing costs.

    7. AdRealistic4984 on

      I don’t really believe it when S Europe exists, just listen to an Italian describe work culture there

    8. AncientStaff6602 on

      Cost of living up, cost of services up, real term buying power down, growth potential down…. Are you surprised?

    9. OSfrogs on

      When so many people are going to univercity and end up working in an office or shop, it’s not surprising. UK doesn’t create enough jobs that allow you to use your qualifications instead of interesting jobs its just office slop that does not need to be full time yet need to act like your doing something and is probably going to be automated by the end of the decade as well as part time coffee shop jobs for graduates who can’t find a job in their field.

    10. chronicnerv on

      I worked at one of the UK’s biggest insurers for a couple of decades, survived 5 departmental redundancies including the 2008 financial crash. I have had many managers through the years and would say they’re not paid to be wise or look after you, They’re paid to manage perception.

      Most managers are not incentivized to improve well being for the employee, they’re incentivised to win quarterly cycles, toe company lines, and avoid controversy. The corporate business doesn’t reward truth, it rewards obedience and doing as you are told.

      You do get the odd manager that cares but they do not last long in big corporate company’s.

    11. No_Sport_7668 on

      Not surprising at all 😂
      Most of us are powerless labour slaves. My mate works 2 hours extra, for free, every shift. He recently asked for half an hour off to take his dog to the vet, they said sure but you’ll have to make the time up. This seems pretty typical for a large amount of working people.

    12. BeardMonk1 on

      Im not disengaged, im just not willing to be taken advantage of. What im doing is:

      * My actual job description down to the letter, nothing more as im not paid for it but also, nothing less as that JD is what i agreed to do for x pay.
      * Im achieving as many of my work goals as possible in the hour per week im contracted for.
      * I’m not working over my hours because im not paid for it. If my tasks cant be *reasonably* completed in that time, its not my fault.
      * Wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living so im hoarding my free time jealously.
      * Covid showed us all that the 9-5, tied to the office desk approach was complete hogwash and for many of us, it not even necessary, so im not keen to spend any more of my wages and time traveling to the office than absolutely strictly necessary.

      I don’t want to be “engaged”. I don’t want to “bring my whole self to work”. I don’t want to “join the workplace family”. I want to do my tasks and crack on.

    13. No-Opposite6601 on

      So constant threats of either dismissal or redundancy, no salary increase, constant crowing by the management about profits and bonuses for management – absolutely can’t believe that the workforce are not absolutely the most happy people on the planet /S

    14. VisionaryTakes on

      We have some of the most time consuming commutes and most expensive commutes, that certainly can’t help when a significant chunk of your time and earnings just goes into getting to & from the office.

    15. gerhardsymons on

      Worked corporate as a middle manager for a FTSE100. Colleague retired, so I was ‘given’ his portfolio on top of my job. Like an idiot, I acquiesced. 1.5 years later, dismissed, along with my line manager.

      That was the impetus to emigrate from the U.K. to central Europe 10 years ago. No regrets.

    16. Correct-Junket-1346 on

      Working people in the UK get shat on at every opportunity, work doesn’t pay in the UK, we are simply the cash cows for keeping our useless, inept government on the payroll.

    17. KamauPotter on

      I remember after being overseas for several months and then returning to the UK, getting on the Piccadilly Line at Heathrow and just being surrounded by glum, grey, and sad faces. The contrast with where I’d come from was incredible. I know it’s a massive generalisation, but there are some fundamental problems in our culture and society that are making us particularly unhappy and unfulfilled, in my opinion, despite our relative wealth.

    18. moojammin on

      Of course

      They are paid terribly with few if any benefits, not trained, very few promotional opportunities or career paths.

      Then you have the unemployed community able to live an identical lifestyle to those working 35/40 hours a week… but have their days free to do whatever they like.

      Where’s the motivation?

    20. Professional-Bear857 on

      We’ve had over a decade of anti worker economic policies and have an economy that’s setup to reward wealth and not wages, so it’s really not surprising that working people are unhappy. The small amount of economic opportunity that exists is concentrated in London where most people can’t afford to live, and we have an inequality crisis that no government is willing to touch let alone solve.

    21. AdjectiveVerbNumbers on

      My manager is insufferable.

      I stay because I need the money and the job market is horrific.

      I work to rule and bail at 5.

    22. Thegrillman2233 on

      The cost of living has risen significantly without a commensurate increase in wages leading to an erosion of the average worker’s purchasing power

    23. getfucckedd on

      “I’m shocked” … Said no British worker ever.

      Seriously though, the cost of living Vs min wage is a joke. Water is expensive, electricity and gas is expensive. Council tax is expensive (and nothing to show for it, we live on a relatively new build estate and need to pay the builders to maintain the roads and cut the public grass areas). Car tax has increased. Dentists are nearly all private now. We literally work to live (and vice versa).

    24. Hyams88 on

      It’s a shame most people commenting don’t seem to have read the article, as the point it makes is really important.

      UK businesses just don’t invest enough in training their managers properly, which means those managers struggle to motivate, support and develop their direct reports.

      This leads to worse outcomes for both those employees and the businesses. It’s likely a contributor to the UK’s productivity issues.

      And it’s something no one is really talking about, so it feels like it won’t be fixed anytime soon.

    25. Southworthy on

      I’ve been a manager and I’ve been managed. One of the hardest tricks is to balance trusting your team, with the management that is frequently required from above. There’s very few times there isn’t someone who is more important, even if you’re the owner, you’re beholden to the customer.

      However, I have been treated like absolute shit by people who don’t have my skills keeping me in a state on pure stress because they have fucked up their jobs. I have been treated as an imbecile by those who could hardly read.

      I have also been nurtured and mentored by excellent managers who saw more in me than I ever did.

      The UK doesn’t teach management as a people problem, it teaches it as though it’s a process problem. That not’s management, nor is it leadership.

      I’ve often wondered how much the class system impacts into the UKs failure of leadership, it’s not true in many of the other countries I’ve been employed or long term engaged with.

      Wages stagnating, an uncertain future, prices skyrocketing, jobs loving process over performance, and should you get a “good job” with a great wage, you’ll likely be worked til you break, and either retire early or worse.

      There are multiple factors that are exacerbating how the UK is functioning and feeling and none of them are easy to fix, as they somehow should be.

      One day, we’ll embrace our Nordic cousins and steal all of their good policies that seem to have worked far better than any of ours in recent years.