Higher life satisfaction among people working in a garden office, says new report

Interesting new research from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing ("an independent collaborating centre that develops and shares robust and accessible wellbeing evidence to improve decision-making" it says on the tin). 

The study - 'Subjective wellbeing in different occupations in UK 2012-20221' - analysed UK data 2012-2022 to explore how wellbeing varies between occupations, the effect of salary on wellbeing, and the effects of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly it found a positive relationship between annual salary and  ife satisfaction, and that people register higher life satisfaction and lower anxiety levels when their job is permanent, regardless of occupation type. 

Most releavant for shedworkers is that Dr Simona Tenaglia, senior analyst at the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and the author of the study, says: "The highest levels of life satisfaction are present for those who work at the same grounds or building as home, followed by those who work in their own homes. If we look at life satisfaction by places where work is mainly carried out and by occupations, the highest values for all occupations are those for work carried out in the same ground or building as home." 

Additionally, this report explores the extent of loneliness at work in the UK and how changes since the Covid-19 pandemic – including the shift towards more home and hybrid working – may have affected this. It's usually a given that working from home increases loneliness ratings but Tenaglia writes: "There is no simple link between homeworking and loneliness at work; contact with colleagues on its own isn’t enough to prevent loneliness and home workers were not lonelier than those working onsite. Also, changes in working location during the Covid-19 restrictions led to improved relationships for many."

Image courtesy Malvern Garden Buildings

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