Forget Money, Office Workers Just Want Mates

Forget the big salary, the company car or the eight weeks annual holiday – what workers really want in a new job is… some mates.

A poll by job review site TheJobCrowd.com found that just under a third of workers believe having a good relationship with colleagues is the single most important factor in determining job satisfaction.

The poll asked more than 520 respondents who had been in a new job for less than two years what factors had been most important in ensuring they were happy in their role, with 29% stating that a good relationship with their colleagues was key.

Also important were the opportunities for career progression (20%), stimulation of the role (19%), level of responsibility (15%), company culture (9%) and opportunities to develop through training (8%).

Interestingly none of the key factors were proven to be solely financial which may come as a shock to many employers.

One ASDA manager said interacting with their colleagues was the best thing about coming to work in the morning.

They said: “The best thing about the company is the great people to work with. We really have fun, with a work hard play hard culture and a great social life.”

And it’s not just retail workers who crave camaraderie, a graduate at top advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi X also admitted the best thing about work was their pals.

They said: “The company is full of enthusiastic and talented individuals who show a passion for their work each day, it is an incredibly positive and creative atmosphere to work in.”

Keren Mitchell from TheJobCrowd.com says many may be surprised by just how important colleague interaction had proven to be.

He said: “A lot of people think all people entering new roles care about is how much money they make, however these results show they couldn’t be further away from the truth.

“Graduates and young professionals reported that the relationship with their colleagues was the single biggest factor in determining job satisfaction.

“Many graduates will not have worked in large organisations before so having a supportive and friendly team around them will give them a huge boost in enjoying their day-to-day role.

“One thing that the results clearly show is that the majority of factors which increased happiness at work were not financially motivated, with employees who were able to better themselves and develop likely to be amongst the most satisfied.”

Co-founder Natasha Freeman, concluded: “I think these findings will really get managers thinking about how they can get the most out of their employees and build successful teams. Lots of people say work isn’t just about the money and the survey’s findings really give weight to this argument.”