Five reasons third of us accountants are not happy

In a recent survey from CABA, the accountancy benevolence charity, some 36% of accountants admitted they were unhappy with their working environment. LSCA Business Board member Angus Farr probes the detail.

August 2018

Be honest: is that higher or lower than you thought it would be? At a recent Business Radar session, CABA presented the results of its research into wellbeing. This was based on a member survey to which 1,470 of us had responded and included this question about ‘overall happiness in our work lives’.

Probing the result, respondents were asked to give reasons for their self-assessment and CABA identified the following five broad categories:

1. Negative impact job has on personal and family life
2. Lack of recognition of the work done 
3. Too many responsibilities within the job
4. Lack of support from managers
5. Expectation to work long or extended hours

Do any of these ring true for you?

In the same survey, a similar number of members (34%) said their jobs have a direct and negative impact on their general physical and mental health. The main issues cited here include tiredness, sleep problems, stress, weight, aches and pains, and general sickness. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was also a knock-on impact on to their family’s health.

I was also struck by the finding that 15% of respondents had encountered ageism. Not just that, but that ageism had been experienced by some from the age of 45!

I entirely accept that for someone in their early twenties, those of us born in or before the 1970s may seem ‘old and ancient’. But it is quite scandalous if there are managers or employers out there, or shudder the thought, fellow members, who would start to question the worth of 45-year olds in the workplace on the grounds of age alone. After all, we’re only just half way through our careers.

Without wanting to sound too much like the closing credits of a hard-hitting TV documentary, if you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, do check out the support and resources available from CABA on its website at www.caba.org.uk.

And if you missed the Radar session, you can listen again to the podcast on the Business Board section on the LSCA webpage.

Angus Farr is a member of the LSCA’s Business Board

Liked this? Read these:

• What Mo Salah can teach you about a great career
• Employers must help new dads lean in at home
• Five steps to a winning CV