If the answer is yes then you are probably one the UK’s most fulfilled workers
- UK workers who are very professionally fulfilled are most likely to be well-educated women, aged 40
- Confidence, positivity, good work/life balance and job security are all shared by the UK’s most fulfilled staff
- £31,600 is the average salary of a very fulfilled worker in the UK
- Take the test to measure your degree of fulfilment
One in six UK workers (16%) describe themselves as very fulfilled, but what does a very fulfilled worker look like?
As part of their research into Fulfilment@Work, Randstad analysed the characteristics and views of over 2,000 UK workers to better understand professional fulfilment and profile the UK’s most fulfilled staff.
The findings show that it is ambitious women who are getting the most from work. UK workers who describe themselves as very fulfilled in their professional lives are most likely to be well-educated women aged 40. They are also likely to be confident, with a positive personality, and have a job in a secure or stable industry that offers good work/life balance. They are also most likely to work in an environment where they have a sense of vocation or responsibility in their work.
Profile of a very fulfilled worker – is it you?
- Well-educated
- Aged 40
- Female
- Earns £31,600 a year
- Confident, with a positive personality
- Has good work-life balance
- Is likely to work in a stable industry with a degree of job security
- Likely to work with a sense of vocation or a degree of autonomy
Mark Bull, CEO of Randstad UK and the Middle East, said: “As the debate about equal opportunities at work continues, it’s inspiring to see that women are on top in terms of fulfilment. Clearly, not everyone in the UK can be a well-educated, 40 year old woman. But you don’t have to fit the typical profile of a very fulfilled worker in order to reach your full potential and feel more fulfilled in your career.
“Our research has shown that the majority of those who describe themselves as fulfilled feel the key to achieving it is firmly in their own hands. It’s up to us to determine how engaged we are in our day-to-day work. Employers play their part, of course, but many of us need to grasp the nettle and proactively make changes to increase our fulfilment.”
The findings also showed how the profile of the average UK worker compares to their most fulfilled peers. A typical member of the UK workforce is likely to be aged 42, earn £29,000 per year and feel moderately fulfilled. In contrast to those who say they are very fulfilled, the average UK worker says they are only confident occasionally and are more likely to lay credit any lack of professional fulfilment at the door of their employer.
Profile of the average UK worker
- Likely to feel moderately fulfilled in their professional life
- Aged 42
- Earns £29,000 a year
- Occasionally confident
- More likely to rely on their employer to increase their fulfilment
How fulfilled at work are YOU?
Randstad has launched an interactive quiz to allow people find out how fulfilled they are in their work and see how they compare to the UK average.
Each person completing the quiz will be asked a series of questions to reveal where they sit on the fulfilment scale. To find out how fulfilled you are and what that means for your career now and in the future, visit the Randstad website to take the quiz:
Fulfilment by industry
The research also explored levels of fulfilment by industry sector and found that the industry with the highest proportion of very fulfilled workers is construction, property and engineering. Over a third (34%) of those working in the sector say they are very fulfilled in their jobs, more than twice the UK average of 16%.
Also above average were those working in farming (25%), professional services (24%), education (24%) and social work (22%). See table 1 below.
Mark Bull, CEO of Randstad UK and the Middle East, said: “Sadly, you may not find many 40 year old women working within the construction sector. However, construction staff do tend to work in a vocational environment and often derive a real sense of satisfaction from seeing a project develop from the ground up which is why they have such a high proportion of very fulfilled staff within the workforce.
“Similarly, staff within education, social work and healthcare will also have a strong sense of vocation and derive satisfaction from helping others and all of these characteristics fit the typical profile of a very fulfilled worker.”
Table 1. Industries with the highest proportion of very fulfilled workers
Randstad recently launched the How I Became platform, inspired by the real stories of real people who are fulfilled at work. The platform contains films from people who work in a range of business sectors, from education to finance providing key pieces of advice designed to help future candidates on their path to professional fulfilment. To find out more, visit the How I Became site:
http://www.randstad.co.uk/howibecame