A pay rise certainly helps to keep us content in our jobs, but in fact the number one factor for remaining happy at work is whether we have a good relationship with our work colleagues.

New research among 1,000 UK workers by Jobsite.co.uk, one of the UK’s leading online recruiters, reveals that 70 per cent of employees see their ‘9-to-5 buddies’ as the most important factor in enjoying their job. In comparison, only 55 per cent thought money was the most important thing.

The average worker spends approximately 40 hours a week at work (based on the average UK worker, working eight hours aday five days a week), which isthe same amount of time we spend with families/partnersat home.

70%

of employees see their ‘9-5 buddies’ as the most important factor in enjoying their job

Interestingly, men were less concerned with their 9-to-5 buddies, and more inclined to take money over good colleagues, with 42 per cent of males saying they would choose a higher paid job, working with people they didn’t get on with. In comparison, only 26 per cent of women said they’d prefer a higher salary to good colleagues, placing a higher value on the “people” element of their jobs.

Age and experience were key in swaying responses: 74 per cent of employees aged 45-54 said they’d prefer to work with people they respected on their current salary, rather than take a pay rise and work with people they didn’t like.

In contrast, just over a third of people aged 25-34 would choose a pay rise over working with people they get on with or liked: a decision perhaps linked with the need for faster progression and movement in the early stage of careers to get on the property ladder and start a family.

The importance of building great working environments is just as important to businesses as it is to employees. The relationships between colleagues can be directly related to productivity of the workforce, with 65 per cent of people believing that being happy at work made them more productive in their job.

Mike Wall, managing director of Jobsite.co.uk, said: “For 40 hours a week, we leave the world we call home and enter the ‘9-to-5’. Whether you’re at a desk job, working outside or looking for your next challenge, we understand that for most of us, it’s the people we interact withthat make the difference andwho help to make the ‘9-to-5’ more enjoyable.”

Jobsite was launched as the UK’s first commercial multi-sector online recruitment site in 1995 and has continued to go from strength to strength, to become one of the UK’s leading job boards, posting thousands of new jobs every day.

Through extensive partnerships with the Daily Mail, Metro (London), Evening Standard,Northcliffe papers, Johnston Press, Clyde & Forth and Aberdeen Press & Journal, Jobsite reaches over 65 per cent of theUK population.

Jobsite’s aim is to take the pain out of job hunting by making finding a new job quick and easy. In its quest to become the UK’s best known online recruitment brand, Jobsite launched the largest ever advertising campaign by a UK job board in October 2008 with the tagline Our Job Is Searching For Your Job; the campaign continues in 2012.

Jobsite’s portfolio currently spans 55 countries, includes a network of over 60 recruitment sites and employs more than 400 people. It has offices in North America, the UK, United Arab Emirates and Australia, with aggressive plans in place forfurther expansion.

Top 10 factors for workplace happiness

1. Working with people I get on with
2. Feeling valued
3. Good money
4. Good hours
5. Good holiday and benefits
6. A boss who I get on well with
7. Low day-to-day stress
8. Decent commute
9. Productive work environment
10. Workplace location