The pandemic has changed things, too

Attitudes have also undergone a big shift thanks to the pandemic and its impact on how we relate to our jobs and our employers. Cloke believes we’ve become much more clear-sighted.

“I think there has also been a shift with how people see their employers, which was kickstarted with the pandemic,” she says. “Lots of employers were great to their staff but we are now seeing a real disconnect between how people are valued.”

She adds, “I think employers have taken for granted that people will always work longer hours, staying late, going over and above but more and more people are realising that it doesn’t benefit them. The pandemic caused us to reflect on what we want from life and being stuck at work isn’t it.”

People in the UK often have the freedom to prioritise things other than work

An important thing to note is that people in the UK are often in a position where they don’t have to prioritise work above all else.

“A key part of this shift in attitudes towards work is about changing values within society overall: economic security is more highly prized in developing countries, while values of self-expression and doing things that you want to do become more important in economically developed societies, because people’s basic material needs have already been met,” Hewlett says. “So an important element of being less work-oriented is about economic development and about the freedom those in richer nations have to pursue other goals.”

Why has the UK fallen out of love with work?