Job location more important than wage, say UK workers

Nick Elvin

Job location is the most important factor affecting why UK workers stay in their current job role, according to a survey conducted on behalf of ClickSoftware.

The online study, carried out by OnePoll, found that 57% of respondents place more value on where they work than how much they earn (52%) and job security (33%).

The survey, which looks at factors affecting job performance, found one in five people (20%) believe their productivity at work has been negatively affected by the location of their job. This increases further in the capital with more than a quarter of Londoners (26%) feeling that their productivity would suffer by working in a ‘horrible location’. Within the UK, employees in the South East value the location of their job more than anyone else in the country.

Young professionals are by far the most affected by the location of their work, with a quarter (24%) of 25- to 34-year-olds admitting that their productivity is likely to be affected by a ‘horrible location’. More notably, more than two-thirds of people (67%) revealed they have either considered or actually left a job, at least in part, for a change in scenery.

Regardless of the job involved, the most popular place to work is at home, with 60% of people identifying this location to be ‘very comfortable’. UK workers appear to be unwilling to step outside of their comfort zones to work in more ‘extreme locations’, with more than half of people (51%) admitting they would not feel comfortable at all working in a job that involves heights. Working underground, such as in a mine, was the least popular option, with nearly three quarters (72%) saying that they would not feel comfortable doing so.

Those looking for an interesting view as they toil away should look for a job on the road, with 46% of people voting this the location that would provide the most interesting views each day, just ahead of working up high in the open (45%) or out at sea (44%).

However, the majority of Londoners are happy with the view from the office as they identified this to be the most inspirational place for them, and instead focus on achieving promotion, which is nearly five times as important to the capital’s workers (23%) than people in East Anglia (5%).