Men want money, women want friends… 10 things British people want most from their jobs

New survey of 1,200 UK workers reveals money is the number one career priority for many people – but only for men. Women consider being in a friendly workplace even more important. Tony McDonough reports

Money isn’t the key to happiness, so we are often told. However, when the weather is as cold as it has been lately then not having to worry about being able to afford the gas bill is always a bonus.

And a new survey of 1,200 workers across the UK reveals money is still the number one career priority for many people – but only for men. Women rate pay highly but consider being in a friendly workplace even more important.

The study, carried out by independent job site CV-Library reveals the top 10 incentives for people when considering a job or career move. The company saw application rates for new jobs soar 83.6% in January so was keen to find out what people were looking for.

It found that more than half of respondents – 55.6% – were unhappy in their current roles and this could be one of the driving factors behind the hike in application rates.

And it reveals peoples’ top 10 career priorities are:

1. A good salary – 58.1%
2. Friendly colleagues – 48.2%
3. Great company culture – 40%
4. Room for progression – 33.5%
5. Learning new skills – 28.2%
6. A nice boss – 22.4%
7. Flexible working opportunities – 13.3%
8. Good location close to home – 11.5%
9. Interesting daily responsibilities – 10.9%
10. Good workplace perks – 10.4% 

Interestingly, salary was the driving factor for the majority of men (61.3%) but this was not the case for their female counterparts. In fact, friendly colleagues came top of the list for the majority (54.9%) of women, just slightly above a good salary (53%).

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “Candidates are storming the job market like never before and it’s clear that many are searching for roles with a strict set of criteria in mind.

“As such, it’s important that businesses are offering the full package. But this doesn’t just mean fair salaries and workplace perks. A great company culture and a friendly workforce should also be a priority.”