A new study has revealed that more than one in four British workers want to leave their job and are considering setting-up their own business.
Research conducted by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) – the UK’s leading qualification and professional body for vocational accountants – polled 2,000 employees and found 27 per cent were unhappy with their working life, and almost 50% said they are considering setting-up their own business.
Participants cited job satisfaction, financial independence, a better work/life balance and flexible working as the main advantages of becoming self-employed.
Despite such a high percentage of workers wanting to set-up their own business, many were discouraged by three key reasons – lack of funding, confidence and financial know how.
“Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of AAT said: “The idea of working for yourself can be daunting, however there are steps you can take to give yourself the confidence to make the leap. Solid financial skills are essential and it’s a great idea to get the right training before setting up your own business.
Working for yourself can be an exciting and exhilarating experience. Indeed, many AAT students go on to successfully work for themselves across a diverse range of sectors from the arts, design and technology, to running their own business from home. Self-employment is an extremely attractive option once you have the right tools, giving individuals greater freedom and satisfaction in their working life and the potential to increase their earnings.”
Owning a bar, café or restaurant were the most popular routes to entering self-employment, followed by becoming a professional writer and working as a graphic designer, photographer or artist.
The survey’s responses also made for a surprising list of signs that the British workforce dislike their current job, ranging from dreading work on a Sunday night to killing time in the office. Having extended toilet breaks, offering to fetch frequent rounds of tea and running unnecessary errands for colleagues were also mentioned.
Feeling unnoticed professionally was an issue for many, with 16 per cent who confessed to feeling overqualified, and 13 per cent who said their ideas are constantly ignored. Not fitting in with colleagues was also shown to be a reason to hate work – a fifth confessed they ‘don’t fit in’ while 16 per cent admitted to coming up with excuses to avoid work related social events.
One in six said the standard of their work suffers due to their dislike of their job, with others confessing they no longer care about presenting themselves smartly.
A whopping seven in ten admitted they find themselves counting down the hours until the end of the day, with almost half admitting they dread the week ahead on Sunday night.
23 signs you hate your job (and should consider working for yourself)
You get anxious about work on a Sunday night
You have lunch on your own to get away from colleagues
You work the minimum number of hours required
You are constantly looking at the clock
You often moan about your job to friends and family
You take extended toilet breaks
You dread going into work in the morning
You feel you don’t fit in within the office
You find any excuse to get out of the office
You have perfected the ‘looking busy’ look
You despise your boss
You constantly find excuses not to go to work social events
You’re happy to run errands for your colleagues
You spending several work hours on social media
You put the least amount of effort into everything you do
Your work performance is suffering- and you don’t care
You come home and cry about the stress of your job
You no longer worry about looking smart
You’re often late
You look forward to doctors or dentists appointments
You seem to always argue with your boss
You cut corners at every possibility
You do the bare minimum overtime so you don’t get fired
Most desirable industries to be self-employed
1. Hospitality (restaurant owner/bar café owner)
2. Professional writer (author, novelist, travel writer, film critic)
3. Art and design (artist, photographer, graphic designer, interior designer)
4. Professional food or wine taster
5. Music industry (song writer, musician, DJ)
