Four fifths of Britons 'proud of work'

Four in five British adults are proud of the work they do, while two thirds enjoy going to work most days, research suggests.

The ComRes survey, conducted for BBC 5 Live, also suggested women are more likely than men to enjoy their work.

Public sector workers have more pride in their jobs than those in the private sector, it indicated.

The CBI said the survey "highlights that the average British workplace is a good place to be."

The business lobby group said: "Businesses understand that an engaged workforce, who are proud of what they do, is essential to growth and to the wellbeing of staff.

"It's what we should all be aiming for, as it will also help raise productivity - a key economic challenge."

In the public sector 86% of workers are likely to be proud of their work, compared with 77% in the private sector.

Prof Cary Cooper of Manchester Business School said people in the public sector see themselves as serving people, and are "committed to the nature of what they are doing" giving them a sense of purpose which people in the private sector might not have.

Prof Cooper said the public sector does need "better management" than it currently has.

"The British worker is a very hard worker, but it's the way they are managed that is critical," he said.

"We have less good line managers from shop floor to top floor... than existed before the recession.

"Since the recession, jobs are now intrinsically insecure, they are not permanent, they are long hours. Therefore the line manager, to be able to retain people and attract good talent back, needs to be more interpersonally and socially skilled than they are."

George Bloor has been an Airfield Duty Manager at Manchester Airport for six months. If it happens on the airfield it's probably George's responsibility to look after it.

He's the youngest Airfield Duty Manager that Manchester's ever had. From checking the runway for debris, to making sure every airline and part of the business work together as a team, it's a high pressure job with the safety of thousands of people in your hands.

George says "It really is the satisfaction at the end of the day of putting all your efforts into a 12 hour shift, going home at the end of the day and knowing that hundreds of thousands of passengers, as direct result of your efforts, have been able to get away on time."

About 74% of women enjoy going to work most days compared to 63% of men.

Prof Cooper said men identify themselves so much with their work role that they "take everything that happens to them too seriously in a work environment, where women can juggle it better and can enjoy it more."

He says women are more adaptable than men and put things into better perceptive.

It's not all such positive news though, with younger workers appearing much less happy in their roles.

The research also suggests that 35% of us have thought about quitting our job in the past month - that number increases to 41% amongst 18 to 35 year olds.

More than 1,100 British adults were surveyed as part of the research carried out by ComRes on behalf of BBC 5 live.