French workers least satisfied with their quality of life of work
There is little cheer in France these days, with a disappointing economy and uncertain politics. Adding further to France's woes a new study claims French workers are the least satisfied of six major European countries.
The study was published by the French observatory for the quality of life in the workplace, Actineo. The Dutch workers topped the study ranking as the most satisfied in Europe.
In the Netherlands, a whopping 91 per cent of workers said they were satisfied with their work environment compared to 78 per cent in France. The CSA institute which carried out the study mused the differences in satisfaction could lie with the layout of work space. It is argued that more open office space leads to greater satisfaction.
In Europe, more than 75 per cent of people work in company offices. Figures in the UK and Sweden are somewhat lower at 65 per cent and 54 per cent respectively. The research showed that sharing office space between more than four people is on the rise in Europe.
Almost three-quarters of UK employees work in a shared office space, compared to 55 per cent in France and Germany. The study suggests Europeans are very concerned with quality of life at work. The Dutch and French appear to place good relationships with colleagues at the top their preferences.
The Germans value work space the most. There are also some wonderfully eccentric findings in the report. More than half of Swedes believe a good workplace should be silent. Over a third of Spaniards are are most concerned about the arrangement of their workspace.
The study comes hot on the heels of research from recruiters Randstad that showed British workers were happier with their jobs than French or Italian workers.