by Alex Heinz

We spend about half of our waking day at work, so shouldn’t we be doing something that makes us happy? For some, happiness comes from working with a great group of people, for others it’s about working towards a worthy cause. There are many factors that play into workplace happiness including work perks, flexibility, and environment. Job satisfaction means something different to everyone, but do certain groups tend to be happier? And how many people are actually happy at work?

GetVoIP conducted a survey of 1021 professionals between the ages of 25 and 64 across the United States to see how many people were excited about their jobs. Turns out, it was a pretty close call. 54.5 percent of people said their work excited them, while 45.5 percent said they weren’t excited about their jobs.

But we didn’t stop there, we broke down the data even further to see if certain groups were more prone to workplace happiness than others. Young professionals, those in the 25-34 year old age range, were most excited — 57.8 percent of them enjoyed their jobs. This is could be  because this age group has fewer responsibilities, fewer bills, and is able to switch jobs more frequently. Additionally, many millennials have grown up in nontraditional work environments. The increasing commonality of flexible hours, collaborative co-working spaces, and startup environments play to their preferences.

Urbanites were also happier than average. 57.1 percent of them enjoyed their jobs compared to 54.5 percent of average Americans. This may be surprising because cities are fast-paced and seemingly more stressful than suburban or rural environments. However, this metropolitan environment also provides countless opportunities to learn, grow, network, and get outside of your comfort zone. Cities have job opportunities in a wide variety of industries that may not be available elsewhere, as well as unique recreational activities that can help workers relieve stress on their down time.

Another surprising group that was more excited about their jobs than average was Southerners. 57.1 percent of them were happy with their jobs. People’s self-perceived happiness is also highest in the southern U.S.. Though there’s no definitive answer as to why, clearly there’s something unique about the South that encourages people to live and work there.

If you are in the group of 54.5 percent of people energized and excited about your work, that’s great! Keep doing what you’re doing and share your secrets with others. If you’re in the other 45.5 percent, think about why. Is it the work itself that you don’t enjoy? Do you feel like you’re being taken advantage of? Is it the people you’re surrounded by? Is it your location? Once you pinpoint why you’re bored or disengaged at your job, you can start to fix it. Remember the things that make you excited, the things that you’re passionate about, and try to integrate them into your day-to-day. And, perhaps most importantly, don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and make big changes, because big changes will have big results.

What about where you live? Do you see people more or less engaged at work? Tell us your cultural experience and then share your tricks for employee engagement and better company culture below!

Photo: Unsplash