More than one in two (53 percent) working Brits who’ve been in a relationship admit to arguing with their partner as a result of work – due to either job stress or being in a bad mood at the end of their working day. From recruitment specialist Michael Page. Comment from Oliver Watson, Executive Board Director, UK and NA, at PageGroup.
Against this combative backdrop, the study, conducted amongst 2,092 GB adults, revealed that almost one in three (30 percent) respondents think their partner should move jobs this year, citing unhappiness (39 percent), poor pay (37 percent) and the availability of better jobs and lack of career progression (both 24 percent) as their top four reasons for saying so. Almost three in five (58 percent) GB workers have themselves also been told to move jobs by their current partner. Despite concerns, the majority (70 percent) of those who think their partner should move jobs said they are being prevented from doing so. Here, fear of the unknown (41 percent), concern about the current job market (27 percent) and a lack of career direction (18 percent) emerged as the primary perceived barriers to their partner’s move.
This lack of career direction echoed in additional research conducted by Michael Page at the end of 2016, which revealed that the majority (78 percent) of UK workers admit to not having a concrete idea of their career progression for the year ahead. “Often, it is those closest to us that see our job situation for what it really is – they experience what we bring home on a daily basis. Rather than allowing it to cause friction, it can be a really interesting exercise to get their perspective on where your work life is headed when deciding what you want to achieve over the coming year,” commented Oliver Watson, Executive Board Director, UK and NA, at PageGroup. “Part of pinning down your career progression goals is understanding what it is that motivates you to move up in the world of work. Whether it is more money, greater responsibility or just a better work-life balance, the good news is that there is so much guidance out there to help set you on the path to achieving it. So why not take this opportunity to start a careers conversation with your significant other today?”
