Good Work Stories

‘[Being a chef] is a different type of tiring. The job has affected my physical and mental health at times... To be successful in this industry you need a very thick skin, the ability to work fast and hard and take in information at the same time. It’s not for wallflowers this industry.’

Job: Head Chef.

Typical hours worked: 45.

Profile: Melissa is a white female in her 30s who works full-time in London. She is married and is hoping to start a family soon.

‘Driving heavy goods, it's not something you go into lightly. There a lot of folk… going in there and they’re spending thousands of pounds getting their licences, thinking that heavy goods is a good job, it’s a good earner. They’re in for a fright.’

Job: Heavy Goods and Heavy Plant Driver.

Typical hours worked: 40–65.

Profile: Fraser is a white male in his early 50s. He’s self-employed and works across the UK.

‘When you’re doing this job as a black person or a disabled person, you’re impacted by the very things that you’re trying to work on.’

Job: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager.

Typical hours worked: 35–50.

Profile: Jacquie’s in her 50s and lives and works in the Midlands with her family. She’s from the Black African ethnic group and is disabled.

‘It’s like having 300 children. You can’t just abandon [the animals] for 48 hours. They’ve got to be looked after.’

Job: Livestock Farmer.

Typical hours worked: 45–50.

Profile: James is a white male in his early 40s. He lives with his wife and family in the Southwest of England and is part of a family farm partnership.

‘We see into very difficult and complex lives and can have a major role in supporting them. We have that privileged insight.’

Job: Housing Association Area Manager. 

Typical hours worked: 40+ (depending on workload).

Profile: Liam is a white male in his 30s. He works full-time and lives with his wife and children in Northern Ireland. 

‘My job role is massively important to me. Not in terms of the title but in terms of feeling that I’m doing a good job.’

Job: HR Administrator. 

Typical hours worked: 37.5.

Profile: Caroline is a white female in her 30s. She works full-time in the North of England and lives with her husband and daughter.

'When you’re dispatched to a job, it can be anything from a medical emergency to some sort of traumatic injury. On some jobs you certainly...feel you're making a difference and that you've done something for the patient'. 

Job: Paramedic.

Typical hours worked: 50 (five 10 hour shifts, followed by three-four days off).

Profile: Stuart’s in his 40s, is white and lives in the South of England with his wife and family.

"As pharmacists, we have eyes and ears everywhere, we’ve got to make sure of the safe running of the pharmacy…We have caught so many errors…and some of these are lifesaving. Mistakes happen, and we are there to catch it."

Job: Pharmacist.

Profile: Amina’s in her 30s and lives in England.

‘I’ve got a good job because I like working with teenagers. It’s very rewarding. But…it’s not an easy job. You can't switch off, sit down, relax, calm down a bit. You’ve got to love it or you couldn’t do it.’

Job: Secondary School Teacher.

Typical hours worked: 1,265 hours (over 195 days of the year).

Profile: Sarah’s a white female in her 40s who works working full-time.