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Millennials are actually happy in their jobs — workers over 35, not so much

sleep asleep desk computer office tradder china stock exchange chinese
sleep asleep desk computer office tradder china stock exchange chinese

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LONDON — Millennials, famed for their job-hopping and love of avocado toast, are the happiest generation of workers, according to a new survey from recruitment firm Robert Half out this week.

The research, carried out by Happiness Works for Robert Half, found that just 8% of 18-to-34 year olds consider themselves to be unhappy at work, less than half the number from the 35 to 49 bracket and those over 55.

Sixteen percent of those in the 35-to-49 bracket considered themselves to be unhappy, while 17% in the over-55 category did.

Broadly speaking, Robert Half's survey found that workers tend to get more jaded as their careers progress, which could have a negative impact on the companies they work for.

"Employees that are aged over 35 have valuable experience that the whole organisation can learn and benefit from," Phil Sheridan, senior managing director at Robert Half UK said in a statement alongside the findings.

"It’s important that their happiness is not neglected, so businesses need to take the time to invest in their staff at all levels."

Factors contributing to declining happiness in the workplace include the pressure of taking on more senior roles within a company, a lack of creative freedom, and struggling to strike a healthy work-life balance, the study showed.

Happy workers, Robert Half found, are more likely to be productive and do good work, with the company citing research from the University of Warwick, which found that happy workers are as much as 12% more productive than those who are miserable.

"Happier people tend to care more about their work, so they put in greater effort. This also means they are quicker to notice when things are not going right and take action to prevent negative outcomes," Nic Marks, the head of Happiness Works, which conducted the survey, said.

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