The average person will spend approximately a third of their life, or the equivalent of 90,000 hours, at work. Liking and getting on with your boss can be seen as an important factor when choosing your next employment.
According to High Speed Training over a third (36%) of Brits are reportedly unhappy in their work, whilst many dream about who their ultimate boss would be. The online training provider asked Brits which celebrities they would most want to work for.
National treasure David Attenborough was the most popular choice, with nearly one in five (18%) of Brits stating that he would be their ultimate "dream boss". Sarah Taylor, learning and development manager at High Speed Training said: "Aside from being adored by the British public, Sir David has many traits that would make him an appealing manager.
"To start with, he’s very intelligent, which is an important characteristic for a manager, and is something that employees find reassuring. He also has a very kind and gentle demeanour, which helps to put people at ease and makes him seem approachable.
"In addition, his work to fight climate change and save endangered species and habitats proves that Sir David is dedicated to making the world a better place and will do everything he can to fight for worthy causes. These are his strongest managerial attributes which makes him the ultimate dream boss.”
Money saving expert Martin Lewis, who has been prominent recently lobbying the government for help with the cost-of-living crisis, also scored highly, winning 15% of vote. Sarah said: "Martin Lewis has shown himself to be someone who is financially savvy.
"He is extremely solutions-focused as we’ve seen through the way he helps people to solve money problems. He is also very good at communicating complex information in a way that everyone can understand.
"These are important characteristics for a manager and something which employees find reassuring. He has also shown himself to be something of a champion of the people, helping them to save money and calling on the government to do more to help people facing financial hardships."
Meanwhile, nearly one in ten (9%) said they would prefer Dolly Parton as a boss, who ranked joint third. The American singer and philanthropist was the highest scoring female boss.
Sarah said: "Dolly Parton is someone who takes action when she wants to make a difference. In the past she’s done everything from fund the development of a Covid vaccine to donating children's books to improve literacy rates.
"This can-do attitude is valued by employees, who respect managers who work hard and aren't afraid to pitch in themselves. Importantly, she is also both kind and fun, which are two things that make working with somebody easier.
"Employees are more likely to respect a manager who works hard, but is also a pleasure to work with, and this is where Dolly shines." Here is the full list of all celebrities that people wish were their bosses.
Top 10 dream celebrity bosses
David Attenborough: 18%
Martin Lewis: 15%
Dolly Parton: 9%
Morgan Freeman: 9%
Ed Sheeran: 9%
Samuel L Jackson: 8%
Alan Carr: 8%
Jurgen Klopp: 8%
Helen Mirren: 7%
Adele: 6%
When it comes to different age groups, David Attenborough once again proved to be most popular, and was the top choice for people between 25-44 and those over 55. Martin Lewis was the most popular choice for 45-54 year olds.
Sarah said: "Judging by the response to our study, the majority of Brits favour the intelligent, calm personality of national treasure Sir David Attenborough, or the savvy smarts of Martin Lewis for their dream boss. From this, managers can understand the kinds of personalities that are most appealing to employees in the workplace, with some key traits from the top choices being intelligence, competence and a calm personality.”
