From Scrubs to Stressed: Doctors, Vets, and Emergency Staff Rank as UK’s Most Unhappy Shift Workers
National shift worker happiness and overall job satisfaction dropped 4% year-on-year, according to Deputy’s most recent Shift Pulse Report.
LONDON, UK — 7 July 2025 — The UK’s most essential shift workers are also among its most emotionally strained, according to new data from the global people platform for shift-based businesses, Deputy, which today released its annual Shift Pulse Report 2025 — one of the largest sentiment studies of the UK’s shift-based workforce.
The report reveals a nationwide drop in shift worker happiness and significant stress within healthcare and frontline support roles based on over 1.2 million anonymous end-of-shift surveys submitted between April 2024 and April 2025 via Deputy’s Shift Pulse tool.
The healthcare sector is under particular pressure. Doctors’ offices and medical clinics recorded the highest dissatisfaction rate in the UK, with 37.84% of workers reporting negative sentiment, nearly five times the national average. Other sectors in the top 10 for unhappiness include:
- Animal Health (17.95%)
- Chiropractors (12.93%)
- Critical & Emergency Services (12.05%)
- Call Centres (12.00%)
- Care Facilities (6.22%)
Staffing shortages, emotional strain, unpredictable rosters, and an ageing population are cited as key contributors to declining morale in the NHS and broader care sector.
Happiness Drops Nationally as Economic Pressure Bites
Across the UK, overall job satisfaction among shift workers fell 3.79 percentage points to 72.21%, down from 76.0% in 2024. The Net Happiness Score now sits at 65.43%, reflecting a nationwide softening of morale.
Despite the challenges, some sectors are bucking the trend. Retail (75.63%), hospitality (75.41%), and services (71.79%) emerged as the happiest major industries in the country, showing clear signs that investment in team culture, predictable scheduling, and operational clarity can deliver measurable improvements.
“This year’s report highlights one of the UK’s most pressing issues: healthcare workers are nearing breaking point. Unless we tackle the root causes of burnout, we risk not only losing frontline talent but the long-term viability of critical community services”, said Emma Seymour, CFO at Deputy.
“At the same time, the report delivers a clear message for business leaders: how your people feel during their shifts directly impacts how your business performs. From productivity and retention to customer experience and profitability, morale matters. Our data shows that when workers feel supported, operations run smoother and businesses thrive. But where burnout and stress go unaddressed, the commercial impact compounds quickly. It’s time we treat emotional wellbeing as a business metric, not just an HR one.”
Cloud Nine: Vape Shops, Cafes, and Childcare Top Happiness Charts
At a sub-sector level, Tobacco & Vape Stores ranked highest for shift worker satisfaction, with 93.42% of workers reporting positive sentiment. Sit-down restaurants (89.73%), fast food (82.88%), florists (82.86%), and food pop-ups (82.45%) rounded out the top five.
Top 10 Happiest Sub-Sectors (by % Happy):
- Tobacco, E-cigarette & Vape Stores – 93.4%
- Sit Down Restaurants – 89.7%
- Fast Food / Cashier Restaurants – 82.9%
- Florists – 82.9%
- Food Pop-Ups – 82.5%
- Cafes / Coffee Shops – 82%
- Dentists – 81.8%
- Childcare / Community Centres – 78.4%
- Catering – 75.3%
- Cleaning Services – 64.3%
These roles may benefit from clearer routines, manageable workloads, and stronger team camaraderie, highlighting the emotional value of operational structure and positive workplace culture.
The UK’s Shift Work Divide: Warwickshire Tops, West Midlands Struggles
Regionally, Warwickshire emerged as the UK’s happiest area for shift workers, with a Net Happiness Score of 88.26% — more than 22 points above the national average. Major urban centres, including Manchester (82.58%), Greater London (75.87%), and Edinburgh (75.93%), also ranked well, suggesting structured scheduling and wider job availability may support worker wellbeing in metropolitan areas.
In contrast, West Midlands (7.15%), Ireland (26.33%), and Buckinghamshire (25.40%) recorded the lowest Net Happiness Scores, with Unhappy sentiment peaking at 35.71% in the West Midlands.
For more information and additional findings, download the full report below:
The Shift Pulse Report 2025 UK
Deputy’s Shift Pulse feature helps businesses easily capture continuous feedback from employees with a simple, one-step way for teams to share how they’re feeling after every shift. With these valuable insights, managers can make changes to improve the team's effectiveness and create a thriving workplace. 1,218,123 Shift Pulse Survey responses were analysed for the 2025 Shift Pulse report.
About Deputy
Deputy is the world’s leading workforce management platform, revolutionising hourly work for over 1.5 million workers and 380,000 workplaces across more than 100 countries. For over 15 years, Deputy has helped businesses effortlessly navigate and comply with complex labour laws while enhancing employee engagement with predictable, transparent, and flexible scheduling. With actionable insights and real-time data, Deputy transforms labour efficiency into a competitive advantage. More than just a solution, Deputy is a trusted partner in building workplaces that foster productivity, well-being, and growth. Discover more at www.deputy.com and join the conversation on LinkedIn.
