Katie Roberts Career Consulting

Following on from last month’s article which suggested some resources to help mature age workers succeed in our ever changing working environment, recent research from recruitment firm, Robert Half, provides some insight into the impact our age can have on our happiness at work.

According to a recent survey conducted of 2000 workers, employees aged over 55 are happiest and those aged in their 20s and 30s are among the least happy in the Australian workforce today. Statistics aren’t everything, however anecdotally many of our consultants working with clients on a day-to-day basis would agree.

While people in their 20s and 30s can be just starting out in their careers, they’re often looking for excitement, challenge and fulfilment that is hard to find. On the other hand, older workers are more likely to have found what they’re looking for, or managed to achieve the work-life balance they desire.

Here are some interesting statistics from the Robert Half survey:

What age group is happiest at work?

• Workers over the age of 55 are the happiest employees with a score of 70 on a scale from 0 to 100
• Employees aged 35-54 are the least happy in the Australian workplace with a score of 67
• This was closely followed by employees aged 18-34 with a score of 68

What age group has the highest professional fulfilment levels?

• 82% of employees over the age of 55 found their work worthwhile
• That percentage dropped significantly to around 66% for workers aged 18 to 34
• 70% of workers aged 35-54 found their work fulfilling

What age group has the highest stress levels?

• One in three employees aged 18-34 said they found their job stressful
• 29% of those aged 35-54 reported stress
• For employees aged 55 and over, 26% reported that their job was stressful

Who is satisfied with their work-life balance?

• 67% of Australian employees aged over 55
• 59% of employees aged 35-54
• 57% of employees aged 18-34

Who finds their work interesting?

• 75% of employees aged over 55
• 66% of employees aged 35 to 54
• 62% of employees aged 18-34

In recent years, it has become huge business to try to discover the secret to employee satisfaction, as companies recognise the benefits of achieving a positive workplace with happy employees. If you are not happy at work, make some plans to change things. Here are some articles to help you on your way.

Are you happy at work? Would you be interested in obtaining some career counselling to help you decide on a new career path or course to improve your happiness at work? If so, please see our Career Coaching services.