A new survey has revealed the professions which are most likely to see their work mates in their free time.

Farmers topped a list of professionals who are most likely to socialise after work, meeting 12 times a month on average.

By contrast, those who work in sports and leisure are least likely to see colleagues outside of work hours, meeting less than once a month.

The research, conducted by Boundless, an experiences company with a 95-year heritage, aims to discover the factors which contribute to individual happiness, both in professional and private lives.

The UK’s five most social professions

“How many times do you meet with colleagues outside of work each month?”

• Farmer 12
• Estate/letting agent 10.4
• Electrician 9.6
• Builder 7.3
• Advertising/media 6.8

The UK’s five least social professions

• Sports and leisure 0.2
• Property developer 0.9
• Taxi/Lorry Driver 1.8
• Teacher 1.9
• Customer service/call centre 1.9

Ian Holmes-Lewis, director at Boundless, said: “Striking a healthy balance between home and work life is key in any industry. Socialising with colleagues outside of work hours allows for workmates to get to know one another and see each other from a new perspective, which can help make work life less tense and more fun.

“We know from our survey the happiest people are those who make time to socialise with friends and family. The results also showed that almost half of people didn’t feel they made the most of their time outside of work. Perhaps it’s time to dedicate extra effort into planning our free time more carefully to ensure we give ourselves the best opportunities for happiness.”

Other findings from the survey include:

• Plumbers are shown to be the happiest profession – with 55 per cent saying they are ‘very happy’ in life.
• The most dissatisfied workers are those in advertising – with 42 per cent saying they are unhappy in life.
• As well as being the most sociable profession, farmers also spend the most time outdoors each day, at 7.5 hours.
• Farmers are also the profession who most consider themselves very active, with 60 per cent responding as such.
• Men are more likely to socialise with colleagues outside of work than women, meeting 4.4 times a month compared to 2.3.
• Those in the private sector are more likely to socialise with colleagues outside of work than those in the public sector, meeting 3.6 times compared to 3 each month.