Scots have more fun at work than rest of UK

Scots office workers have more fun at work than anyone else in the UK thanks to regular gaming and karaoke sessions, a study revealed.

By FINDLAY MAIR Wednesday, 28th October 2015, 12:11 pm

Only one in five Glasgow workers said they didn't have fun at work.

Researchers found 40 per cent of Scots said that if they were relaxed and had fun at work then they were more likely to be happy and motivated to do their jobs.

And it was workers from Glasgow who were found to have the most fun with 70 per cent of those asked stating that workplace fun was “important”.

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Only one in five people working in Glasgow said that they did not have any fun activities at work.

But people working in Edinburgh were found to be the most stressed out at 87 per cent of those questioned admitting to suffering from stress caused by work.

Workers from the Capital also wanted their managers to lighten up more than anyone else in the UK at 76 per cent.

Professor Sir Cary Cooper, who worked on the study by software company BrightHR, said that these results were because young people wanted to enjoy their work.

He said: “In Scotland we see a really interesting balance of some areas adopting work place fun to boost productivity and others to alleviate stress.

“Top marks to businesses in Glasgow that are ensuring their employees have some fun at work, as they will be benefit from a harder working and more motivated and productive workforce.

“Employees in Edinburgh are right in thinking fun can help alleviate stress at work.

“Work is no longer about getting the job done and then going home for your fun - younger generations want to enjoy their work too.

“It could be because we work longer hours, have to wait longer for retirement and have less financial security from work, meaning we need to get some other return for our time investment.”

Just under two thirds, 62 per cent, of people who had fun at work took no sick days in the last three months while 58 per cent of those who had no fun at work took at least 11 days off in the same period.

During the survey of 2,000 UK office workers, many also claimed office fancy dress days, yoga classes and even board games made them excited to go to work and feel more productive.

The majority of younger people, 79 per cent of 16-24 year-old employees, believe fun at work is the most important factor and 44 per cent of those said ‘play’ at work made them work harder.