As the New Year approaches it could be time to begin looking for better opportunities

With Christmas fast approaching, many of us will no doubt be gaining a few pounds over the festive season. But, for almost half of finance professionals, it doesn’t stop there, with 43% admitting that their job has led them to gain weight. That’s according to the latest study from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board.

The survey of 1,200 workers sought to explore the affect our jobs have on our health, our weight and our happiness. Of those that admit that they have gained weight because of their current job, the huge majority (91.3%) said that this has left them feeling unhappy.   Finance professionals identified a number of causes for weight gain at work. The top five reasons include:

1. Sitting at a desk all day – 90.3%
2. Colleagues bringing in unhealthy snacks – 43.5%
3. Snacking a lot at work – 40%
4. Working long days that don’t leave time to fit in exercise – 39.1%
5. Eating more due to stress at work – 30.4%

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments on the findings: “Living a healthy lifestyle can sometimes feel like a job in itself, so it’s unsurprising to see that work has an impact on the eating and exercise habits of many finance professionals. That said, it’s worrying to learn that such a high percentage are unhappy as a result. Weight gain at work is understandable, particularly if you sit at a desk all day and struggle to fit in going to the gym or taking part in exercise before or after work.

“While it can be tricky, it’s vital to make looking after your health as much a part of your routine as going to work each day. Try getting up that bit earlier, or ensuring you leave work on time to fit in a trip to the gym. Alternatively, walk to work if you can, or take a stroll on your lunch break. Snacking can be tempting, so be sure to take a healthy lunch and snacks to work with you. This can reduce the temptation to reach for the donuts in the staff room!”

What’s more, 66.7% of workers in the finance sector revealed that there are other aspects of their job that made them feel unhappy. For the majority (47.2%) it is because they are overworked. This was followed by finding their job boring (33.3%), having a poor work-life balance (25%), long commutes (22.2%) and not enjoying their daily tasks (19.4%).

The majority (86.1%) of finance professionals who are unhappy with aspects of their job admit that they do proactively try to make themselves feel better. In fact, 66.7% talk to their colleagues when they’re feeling down, 16.7% browse social media and 13.3% take regular breaks.

Biggins concludes: “We spend a lot of our time at work, so it’s important that our job makes us happy. While it’s good to see that some professionals in the finance sector are taking positive steps to make themselves feel better at work, if you’re suffering from a poor work-life balance, being overworked or long commutes, it’s unlikely that regular breaks will solve the problem in the long term.

“Instead it could be time to speak to your manager about getting a better balance or taking the next step in your career. Alternatively, it may even be time to look for a new opportunity elsewhere with the potential to do something you love. So why not kick-start 2018 with a bang?!”

If you think your job could be making you unhappy, why not start looking for your next opportunity ahead of the New Year. Choose from thousands of jobs, here.