A 21 hour week, free hot drinks and £44,000 salary make for the ‘perfect job’, study finds

The “perfect job” pays employees a salary of £44,000 a year and requires them to work less than 30 hours a week, according to a new study.

A poll of 2,000 adults in the UK found that those who are currently working their “dream job” have a short commute between 16 and 20 minutes long, and have a supportive boss.

While the maximum working week in the UK is 48 hours, those with their dream jobs work just 21 to 30 hours and have an allowance of 29 days holiday every year.

Other requirements include regular reviews and pay rises, a day off on your birthday and free hot drinks in the office.

Employees said their office environment also influences how happy they are at work, with friendly colleagues, a well-organised space and a good location being rated as the most important factors.

Most importantly, most adults said their dream job would pay a salary of £44,355 per year.

Andrew Wood, spokesman for Raja Workplace, an office equipment supplier which commissioned the survey, said the findings show the importance of a workplace which aligns with employees’ lifestyles and values.

“It’s great to see so many people already believe they have found their dream job as work is such a huge part of our modern lives,” Wood said.

“There are so many different things employers must take into consideration when designing a workplace and environment for their employees.”

Over the course of the pandemic, many companies have introduced hybrid working models which require employees to work from home for several days a week.

According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, the proportion of adults who worked from home in 2020 increased to 37 per cent, up from 27 per cent in 2019.

When asked about the biggest positives and negatives of home working, most adults said it gave them a better work-life balance but made collaborative work more challenging.

Of those surveyed by Raja Workplace, 57 per cent of people said their ideal job is a mix of working both collaboratively and individually.

Additionally, more than a third of people (36 per cent) said they believe the work culture of their job is more important than their salary.