A good day at work is likely to lead to a healthy evening
* 7% of the working population will eat fast food after a good day (compared to 13% after a bad day)
* 18% of workers have sex after a good day at work (8% after a bad day)
* 68% will spend quality time with their children after a good day (36% after a bad day)
* 47% of the working population has a bad day at least once a week
* To find out how your job impacts on your home-life log onto www.jobsite.co.uk/happydays and take the test

15 November, 2007 – Some people see work as a means to an end but being happy and in the right job can actually improve your health.

An experiment* from www.jobsite.co.uk, one of the UK’s leading online recruiters, reveals workers are twice as likely to avoid fast food, twice as likely to take exercise and twice as likely to have sex with their partner – whilst smoke and drink much less after a good day at work.

Plus it’s not just workers themselves who reap the rewards of a good day at work- 68% of parents with children return home to spend quality time with their kids, from helping with bath-time and homework to reading bedtime stories – a percentage figure which decreases to 36% following a bad day at work.

The research looked at the impact of being happy at work and the immediate effect of a good and bad work-day on an evening at home. Researchers questioned workers from 20 commuter train stations across the country and collected saliva samples on both a work day and a leisure day to compare stress and immune levels to determine the changes in behaviour after a day at work.

Overall, the test proved* being happy and in the right job can be beneficial to a person’s health, as happy workers are more likely to have a higher immune system, lower stress levels and a good sense of well-being.

A bad day, on the other hand, causes a third of adults (33%) to turn to alcohol and one in 10 (13%) to smoke. In fact, unhappy workers are likely to drink a higher quantity of booze and smoke more after a typical days work.

Around half (47%) of the working population has a bad day at least once a week and four in 10 (46%) say a bad day impacts negatively on their health and home life.

More than a third (35%) of workers will take their mood out on their partner and one in 10 (13%) will pick an argument following a tough day at work.

Being in the wrong job is likely to cause stress (51% of adults), loss of sleep (38%), headaches (22%), exhaustion (29%) and depression for one in 10 (12%) – and close to four in 10 (38%) feel too tired to do anything after a bad day at the office.

To see how happy you are and the impact of your job on your home-life, log onto www.jobsite.co.uk/happydays and take the happy test.

Cheryl Morgan, Jobsite’s Career Counsellor, comments:
“Most jobs bring with them their own stresses and strains but this experiment really hits home the impact of having a good and bad day at work. Close to a quarter (24%) of UK workers are currently unhappy with their current job – and we are urging people to make sure they are happy at work because there are repercussions on their diet, well-being and happiness.

“There is always a job right for you. If a good day at work is a rarity and a bad day is happening all too often – it’s time to take some action. We spend the majority of our time at work and being in a job where you’re unhappy will negatively affect the limited spare time that you do get. There’s a job out there that deserves you more.”

Psychologist David Moxon who was part of the research team, described the importance of the findings:

“Unhappiness at work can have a huge impact on your home-life and there is evidence to suggest that on-going unhappiness at work can be detrimental to both the physical and mental health and well-being of workers – anyone who is currently unhappy should think about their options and consider changing jobs to improve their happiness, health and well-being.”
To see how happy you are in your current job, log onto www.jobsite.co.uk/happydays

Notes to editors:
The research was carried out by PCP Market Research Ltd on a face-to-face basis in 20 train stations. Full and part-time workers were included in the 421 bespoke sample. Approximately two-thirds of those interviewed had been at work on the day of the interview. Interviews took place in Moorgate, Feltham, Oxford, Southampton, Norwich, Cambridge, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Nottingham, Cardiff, Swansea, Manchester, Liverpool, York, Leeds, Newcastle, Durham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In addition, an experimental* research method was employed. Participants were required to provide saliva samples on both a work day and a leisure day. These were provided at the same time on both days, so circadian biases were eliminated. Participants were also required to fill out a mood state questionnaire on both days. A range of occupations were tested to provide a broad spectrum of participants. Some of the more unusual occupations included a doctor and a priest. Overall the following job groupings were assessed:

Senior managers
Professional
Factory/manual workers
Middle mangers
Clerical