If you've ever seen an advert for an idyllic job babysitting a lighthouse on a remote island, or traveling the world by cruise ship plotting adventures for tourists, and longed to be free of your desk, you're not alone.
More than half of Irish workers are struggling to stay invested in their jobs, with 63% of them saying they are disengaged from the day in, day out routine that pays the bills, feeds the kids and funds the holidays.
The findings come from research carried out by Aon, a professional services firm, in their Employee Mindset Study and show that Ireland lags far behind the European average for work satisfaction, which is 60%.
According to their findings, many companies are not doing enough to keep their employees happy, with only 34% saying that their rewards from work - pension, training and career development - were enough to keep them and their families happy.
As anyone struggling to secure a pension or train up in their chosen field will know, this is key when it comes to staying in one place. In the same study, employees who said they were satisfied with their total rewards package were twice as engaged as those who are not.
When it comes to pay, women are more likely to be dissatisfied with their pay and benefits than men, at 24% versus 14%.
And when it comes to those who are happy and engaged where they are, it's typically older workers, as 51% of "boomers" - people aged 54 and over - reported that they were satisfied with their job. As the workers get younger, things become a bit less stable: those in mid-career reported the lowest levels of job engagement and 1 in 3 are most likely to seek a new job in 12 months.
Younger workers also have different expectations and standards when it comes to work, with 50% of employees saying that above-average benefits and working in a fun environment are critical to keeping staff. However, just 28% of these workers felt these qualities set their current employer apart from their competitors.
Ian Thornton, Managing Director, Health and Wellbeing, Aon in Ireland said: "In today's environment, attracting and retaining talent is critical to business growth. With the economy at full employment, a talent shortage in a highly competitive environment remains a challenge for many businesses.
"The survey confirms that employees value choice, and in particular they are willing to exchange part of their pay for a better range of benefits. We are seeing a significant increase in clients taking up flexible or voluntary benefit programmes to facilitate this trend in personalisation of packages."
He added that it's clear from the research that "those with health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits are more satisfied than those that have no benefits."
