Women want praise and to help others at work, while men thrive on leadership and not making mistakes

Do your employees like going to work every day?

According to new research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, the majority (56.7%) of professionals say that they enjoy their job, however the key drivers behind this vary massively between men and women.

In fact, the study, which surveyed over 2,000 UK professionals, reveals some stark differences between what brings women and men joy at work, including:

  1. Women feel more joy when they receive praise from their manager (34.1% vs 23.1% of men)
  2. Men feel more joy when they complete a task with no faults (55.1% vs 48.9% of women)
  3. Women feel more joy when they’re helping others (48.7% vs 37% of men)
  4. Men feel more joy when they’re given a leading role on a project (20.6% vs 16.6% of women)

Alongside this, the data reveals that only 11.4% of women say their job doesn’t bring them any joy, as opposed to 13% of men.

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:We spend most of our life at work, so if your employees don’t enjoy what they do or who they work with, they’ll never truly maximise their potential in your company or be happy in themselves.

“When it comes to engaging your employees and keeping them motivated, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy that will work universally. So, make sure you do your best to understand the key drivers behind each employees’ happiness at work, as this is key to running a productive workplace.” 

When it comes to what brings men joy at work, our data suggests that they are more driven by leadership and personal achievements, with the following top five areas being key contributors to their happiness at work:

  1. Completing a task with no faults – 55.1%
  2. Feeling like you’re helping people – 37%
  3. Having your skills tested on a difficult task – 33.9%
  4. A compliment from a colleague – 24%
  5. Praise from their manager – 23.1%

On the other hand, the key wins that give women joy at work are centred more around praise and helping others. This includes completing a task with no faults (48.9%), helping others (48.7%), receiving praise from their manager (34.1%), a compliment from a colleague (25.4%) and having their skills tested (25.4%).

Biggins continues: “Understanding and knowing what motivates different individuals can also help with your hiring efforts. So, make sure you ask about this when interviewing candidates. This will make it easier to sell your company to them, while also ensuring you’re hiring like-minded people who are going to enjoy working in your organisation.”

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The British Institute of Recruiters is the Professional Body operating The Recruitment Certification Scheme

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