It may not seem like it after a stressful meeting with an overly critical bride, or on a day when half your team calls in sick, but according to new research out of the United Kingdom, florists are among the happiest people in their profession — by a long shot.
 According to a new book by UK economist and behavioral scientist Paul Dolan, UK “gardeners and florists… are nearly twice as happy as people in more prestigious, better paid jobs.” See how this shop keeps its employees happy. |
“Gardeners and florists are the happiest of all the professions [in the U.K.] and nearly twice as happy as people in more prestigious and better paid jobs, says a new book by a UK economist and behavioral scientist Professor Paul Dolan,” according to a May 15 story in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Nearly nine out of 10 florists and gardeners say they are happy, he writes in his book, ‘Happiness by Design.’”
Dolan found that the happiest professions included:
- Florists and gardeners, 87 percent of those surveyed said they are happy.
- Hairdressers and beauticians, 79
- Plumbers, 76
At the other end of the spectrum, people working in the following professions expressed the lowest level of happiness:
- HR and personnel staff, 54
- IT and telecommunications workers, 48
- Bankers, 44.
Doctors and dentists (65 percent) and lawyers (64 percent) fell somewhere in the middle.
Why the difference? For now Dolan, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, isn’t sure, but he speculated that many people pick their professions based on status or the expectation of a high salary, which can lead to an unfulfilling work life.
His research also hints at ways to ensure your employees are feeling the love and happiness of your profession, too: Be the kind of boss you’d want to work for, offer the best pay and benefits you can and provide praise and specific feedback on daily tasks.
“We do know people are happier with their lives over time if they are satisfied with aspects of their jobs like their boss, pay and daily tasks, which suggests it is most important that the job is a good fit for the individual type rather than the type of job per se,” Dolan writes.
While Dolan did not mention the positive influence flowers and plants can have on people’s daily lives — and florists and their teams can’t help but benefit from as they go about their workday — that’s a phenomenon SAF has tracked for years, with the help of major research institutions.
In fact, a 2003 study conducted at Texas A&M University found that “problem-solving skills, idea generation and creative performance improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants,” among many other positive effects.
Read more about SAF’s studies on the health and happiness benefits of flowers (and share them on social media with your customers).
