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Are you happy at work? A Harvard study reveals the most unhappy professions. Find out if yours is on the list and how flexibility can be the solution to improving the quality of life of professionals.
Imagine working in a profession that, instead of bringing satisfaction, only causes discontent and stress. An alarming study of Harvard University revealed that more than 40% of people are unhappy in their jobs.
But what makes so many people feel this way? And, most importantly, is your profession on the list of the most unhappy? Read the article until the end and discover the answers.
According to the research, among the list of professions that have the most people who suffer from negative feelings at work are pharmacy technicians, project engineers and teachers.
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These and other workers face a combination of low wages, exhausting working hours and repetitive tasks that, day after day, undermine your satisfaction and well-being.
The professions that generate the most unhappiness
See if your job is among those most likely to generate unhappiness:
- Pharmacy technician
- Project engineer
- Professor
- Administrative assistant
- Caixa
- General Director
- data analyst
- Customer Service Representative
- Retail Salesperson
- Sales account manager
- Deliveryman
- truck driver
- Security guard
- Night worker
The reasons behind the discontent
Several factors contribute to unhappiness at work. Among them are:
- Lack of opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Low salaries.
- Repetitive tasks.
- Long journeys.
- Constant pressure.
- Hierarchical distance.
- Constant interaction with other people's problems.
- High responsibility.
- Social isolation.
- Exposure to adverse weather conditions.
- Health problems associated with prolonged sitting.
- Difficulty interacting with friends and family at different times.
Is it possible to improve this situation?
To combat mental illness among employees, some companies have invested in lectures, applications and online therapies, in addition to consultations with psychiatrists. However, these measures may not be enough.
In an interview with the UOL portal, Jairo Bouer, a psychiatrist at the USP Faculty of Medicine, stated that “if mental health has really become a priority for corporations, it would be important to reflect on the extent to which relationships with work are not at the root of the problem ”.
"Like this, rethink employment conditions (such as working hours), in addition to protections and benefits for employees, could play a central role in preventing mental disorders”, said the doctor.
Flexibility as a solution
According to him, for most workers, a truly flexible job should invest not only in where people want to work, but also in when and how much they want to dedicate themselves to their duties. Productivity would not depend solely on being in a specific place for eight consecutive hours.
Although some occupations are time-dependent, such as teachers who teach classes or doctors who work shifts, many others can be more flexible. "Like this, workers could adjust schedules according to their routine, which would bring benefits to their health and productivity, with a more satisfied and engaged workforce”, says the psychiatrist.
He then mentions that fathers and mothers, for example, could adapt their schedule according to the demands created by their children's education, which could reduce the eternal conflict between career and parental care. “Furthermore, many people work best early in the morning, while others prefer the afternoon and evening. Adapting work to the biological rhythm can improve dedication and creativity”, he adds.
Experiments with reduced working hours
Four-day workdays a week, 30 hours of work, and periods of greater dedication interspersed with quieter periods are some of the strategies already adopted by some companies and governments.
In an interview published in the newspaper “El País“, British psychologist and anthropologist James Davies, professor at the University of Roehampton, argued that a reduction in working hours would have the potential to improve the mental health of the population.
For him, modern society has medicated our emotions and only seeks to alleviate symptoms, instead of investing in social changes that could prevent suffering and mental disorders, such as better jobs and wages and more free time.
The root of the problem in professions
For experts, the system's obsession with creating more productive and consuming people, to the detriment of happiness and well-being, a theme very well explored by the South Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han in his book “Sociedade do Fatigue”, may be at the root of root of the growing number of people with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and burnout.
Now, we want to know your opinion: do you believe that making working hours more flexible could really improve the quality of life of professionals? Leave your comment!
