The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has insisted that HR is not full of ‘miserable gits’ following a poll that found the profession was among the UK’s unhappiest.
The Happiness Index poll, compiled by qualifications body City & Guilds, ranked HR a lowly 17th out of 20 jobs in a league table. HR professionals gave their jobs a distinctly average score of 6.54 out of 10.
Only financial services, catering and secretarial workers said they were less happy than downbeat HR practitioners.
But the CIPD pointed to research it conducted 18 months ago which found that HR professionals were happy with their choice of career, and would not choose a different one if they had the chance to start again.
The CIPD report said: “It sometimes seems that it is fashionable for the HR profession to indulge in doom, gloom and self-loathing.
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“But this survey turns some of the myths on their heads. A profession where the vast majority would pick the same career path if they could start over again is a confident one that is happy with itself.”
Hairdressers were found to be the happiest employees, followed by beauty therapists, childcare workers and plumbers.