The happiest jobs with the highest salaries revealed

• The Career Welfare Index by Phoenix Health & Safety reveals best and worst jobs for health, pay, happiness and safety
• Those who work in media, marketing/advertising and sales have the best career welfare in the country 
• The happiest and highest earners work in legal, earning 39% more than the UK average
• Retail is the second riskiest job to work in for health & safety

Credit: Unsplash

Across the UK, job conditions and expectations have seen a serious shift over the last few pivotal years. Factors that may not have been a priority pre-pandemic, such as well-being support and flexibility, are now of the utmost importance. As many of us have come to find, your working environment can have a huge effect on your mental and physical health – never mind your performance. 

According to the Mental Health Foundation, better mental health support in the workplace could see UK businesses increasing profits up to £8 billion per year. With 1 in 6.8 UK workers experiencing mental health issues of some variety, the health and safety experts at Phoenix Health & Safety  decided to delve deeper into the statistics to provide the nation with a better understanding of which career paths are the best for health & safety, mental health, and overall quality of life. Enter the ‘Career Welfare Index’. 

Research conducted by Phoenix Health & Safety has revealed which jobs are the ‘happiest’ with the highest salaries, as well as which jobs are statistically the best for welfare and health and safety.  Want to learn more? Look no further… 

According to findings, people who work in the legal sector are the happiest with the best pay, with 28% of employees enjoying their job as well as earning over 39% more than the average UK salary. 

Construction, which sees many of its tradespeople benefitting from an average 12% higher salary than other industries, also placed fairly well at number 6 – with 21% of construction workers claiming that they really enjoyed their job. Nick Higginson, CEO of Phoenix Health & Safety, further observes: 

“Coming in strong at second place was media and marketing, with 27% of workers saying that they were passionate about their roles and enjoyed their working environment. Due to many marketing agencies placing a lot of value on creating an attractive work culture, this result isn’t a huge surprise.  

Interestingly, however, only a small 4% of estate agents said that they enjoyed their job – 12% even expressed that they hated it! With pressures such as individual sales and commission coming into play with this type of role, the estate agency sector may need to consider more of a team-led environment to boost morale” 

Best jobs for your welfare 

Keen to find a working environment that works for you? We’ve got you. After amalgamating data on 5 key factors affecting people’s career and workplace wellbeing, Phoenix Health & Safety was able to award different job sectors with an overall ranking score – the higher the score, the better the employee wellbeing in that job role. 

Coming in at number one with the best career welfare was media, advertising, marketing and sales – with employees in this industry earning an impressive 33% above the national salary average. Closely followed by the IT & Telecoms and legal sectors. Both of these industries tally a fierce 50 points on the index as, not only did they score highly for loving their job, employees in this sector generated a low level of non-fatal industries. So, if you’re keen for a safer career, desk-life might be just the right kind of role for you. 

Nick elaborates: 

“Much to our surprise, retail came in as the second riskiest sector to work in after transport, with a high average of 395 employees being injured per 100,000 workers in the industry. Though it may seem like a safe option, working in retail often entails hazardous high storage units, use of ladders, high powered machines and a reliance on teamwork. Without the proper safety measures in place, industries that involve a lot of manual handling – like retail – are a risky business to enter into” 

Top tips on how businesses can improve their employees’  mental wellbeing

You may have an amazing team of workers at your disposal – but are they happy? Success is more than just revenue and results. Even with the best of intentions, your ways of working may be impacting your employees’ health and mental wellbeing. 

Nick Higginson, CEO of Phoenix Health & Safety, gives 5 tips for businesses wanting to promote employee wellbeing in the workplace.

1. Interaction

“It’s well established that social relationships are very important to our mental wellbeing in the workplace². Positive relationships can help us feel connected and help foster a sense of belonging.at work.

“Encouraging social interaction through events, parties and allowing time for staff to interact during the work day can lead to better communication, job satisfaction and an improved experience at work.”

2. Exercise

“Regular exercise has been proven to be an effective way to reduce employee stress and burnout in the workplace¹. Regular exercise benefits us both physically and mentally, decreasing the levels of depression and lowering levels of anxiety while improving mood and mental wellbeing. 

“Allowing time for exercise during the workday can help promote physical activity and could benefit the business with reduced time off due to mental health issues.” 

3. Mindfulness 

“Mindfulness is about being aware of the here and now; it can reduce stress, anxiety and depression in those who practise it. Businesses that have implemented mindfulness activities in the workplace have reported staff feeling more energized, with increased levels of concentration and decreased tendency for procrastination³.

“There are apps, videos and seminars that promote mindfulness that can be used in the workplace. Simply allowing your staff time to practice mindfulness can be enough to see the benefits.”

4. Nutrition

“A healthy diet has a wide range of benefits including increased energy levels and motivation, improved concentration and a boosted immune system – reducing time lost due to common workplace illnesses including the common cold and flu.

“Simple steps like replacing sugary snacks and drinks in the workplace with a fruit bowl or healthy smoothies can help promote better nutrition. It’s important to communicate any changes carefully, so that employees don’t feel the organisation is being judgemental.”

5. Learning

“Research has shown that learning throughout life can help us maintain and improve our levels of wellbeing. Doing something we haven’t done before makes us challenge ourselves, setting goals gives us a sense of purpose and learning can have a positive impact on our mental health.

“Learning doesn’t have to be solely academic, staff can learn by working in different areas in the workplace or partaking in a group class. Allowing your staff the time and opportunity to expand their knowledge is a great way to keep your team motivated.”

If you’d like to know more please visit the Career Welfare Index Report