The Printing Charity has shared the results of research it commissioned to build a picture of how things are, professionally and personally, for people working in print, paper, packaging graphics, publishing and the allied trades.

Key findings included:

  • People in print are passionate and positive about their work and their industry. Four in five feel that the work they do is important to their organisation; three-quarters feel they play a role in keeping print alive and relevant; three-quarters also say they feel a sense of job satisfaction; and seven in 10 ‘feel appreciated for their efforts at work’.
  • Print industry workplaces are characterised by care. Nearly eight in 10 survey respondents would be comfortable letting their manager or senior leader know if they were under stress at work; and seven in 10 feel supported by their manager.
  • People in print are impacted, as everyone is, by universal wellbeing challenges, including poor sleep and money worries; the impact of the cost-of-living crisis; low energy, and mental wellbeing challenges.
  • Work pressures create sector-specific pinchpoints, including work-related stress and work-life balance, worries about the future, the impact of AI and automation, and general career uncertainty.

Neil Lovell, Printing Charity CEO, said: “Our goal for the research was to find out what the biggest challenges are for people working in our sectors. With this knowledge we can not only respond through the services and support we offer directly to them, but also help to equip businesses in our sector with practical ways to create the best staff wellbeing possible.

“We know businesses in our sector work hard to create positive working environments where people thrive. At the Printing Charity, we are the wellbeing partner for the sector, here for everyone, which includes supporting sector businesses to meet the particular needs of their employees.”

The theme of this year’s research was ‘Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change’, with the results released to coincide with World Mental Health Day on October 10.

To read the research in full click here.