{"id":741,"date":"2026-01-26T11:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/blog\/employee-retention-uk-arts-events-workforce\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T08:13:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:13:35","slug":"employee-retention-uk-arts-events-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/blog\/employee-retention-uk-arts-events-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee Retention for Arts &#038; Events: Reward and retain great people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New research reveals a sector at tipping point as employee retention comes under strain in arts, culture, and live experience organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the arts, culture, and live experience sector, a familiar story has taken hold: teams are stretched, workers are burned out, and employee retention is a mounting challenge as some of the most committed professionals are leaving for better conditions elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>But does this story stand up to scrutiny?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find out, Spektrix surveyed 268 professionals in audience-facing roles &#8211; marketing, ticketing, fundraising, and leadership &#8211; across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results reveal a workforce defined by deep resilience, but one that is also approaching a critical breaking point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For organisations in the UK, understanding these \u201cpush and pull\u201d factors is the first step toward a sustainable, long-term strategy for employee retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner spektrix-blog-cta-banner--pink spektrix-blog-cta-banner--image-fit-contain wp-block-spektrix-blog-cta-banner\" aria-labelledby=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner-heading-1\">\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner__card\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1510\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-scaled.png\" class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 342px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-scaled.png 2560w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-1024x604.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-768x453.png 768w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-1536x906.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Guide-Cover-CTA_-Powered-by-Purpose-2048x1208.png 2048w\" title=\"\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-body-lg-bold spektrix-blog-cta-banner__heading\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner-heading-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"heading\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add heading\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Heading\" \t\t\t\t>What matters most to the people driving audience engagement?<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-cta-banner__link-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/resources\/powered-by-purpose-arts-employee-retention-report\/\" class=\"spektrix-dot-link spektrix-dot-link--pink spektrix-dot-link--has-arrow spektrix-blog-cta-banner__link\" target=\"_self\"><span class=\"spektrix-dot-link__dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M5.5 3.25 10.25 8l-4.75 4.75\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"spektrix-dot-link__label\">Read the report<\/span><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The majority of arts, culture, and live experience workers plan to stay in the sector, but a significant number are yet to decide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High turnover in the arts, theatre, culture, and live experience workforce isn&#8217;t guaranteed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A surprisingly small proportion of workers are determined to leave, though 20-30% are at risk if conditions don&#8217;t improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where do you see yourself working in five years\u2019 time?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/where-do-you-see-yourself-working-5-years-uk.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-941577\" style=\"width:500px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/where-do-you-see-yourself-working-5-years-uk.webp 940w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/where-do-you-see-yourself-working-5-years-uk-300x130.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/where-do-you-see-yourself-working-5-years-uk-768x333.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Globally, a remarkable <strong>64.8%<\/strong> of workers plan to continue working in the sector five years from now. In the UK, the proportion is right on trend at <strong>64.8%<\/strong> exactly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only <strong>7.1%<\/strong> globally plan to leave for a different sector within the next five years. That rises to <strong>11.1%<\/strong> in the UK.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>That leaves a significant number of sector employees who have not yet decided on their next steps. <strong>22.1%<\/strong> of the global workforce are unsure where they&#8217;ll be in five years, dropping slightly to <strong>21.3%<\/strong> in the UK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There&#8217;s a huge opportunity to retain undecided workers, and to reward the experienced, dedicated people who plan to stay in their roles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The power of purpose: Employee retention is driven by a deep belief in social impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What keeps people in their roles despite the challenges? For the vast majority, the answer lies in the social and cultural impact of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote wp-block-spektrix-blog-attribution-quote\">\n\t<img\n\t\tclass=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__mark\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/themes\/spektrix-2026\/assets\/images\/blog\/Green-Quote.svg\"\n\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\twidth=\"48\"\n\t\theight=\"42\"\n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\/>\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-quote-lg spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__quote\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"quote\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add quote\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Quote\" \t\t\t>I have a strong conviction that participation in the arts and humanities is critical to just being a good human and member of society and that a lot of problems in the world could at least be helped by choosing to explore different worlds and perspectives via the arts.<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"text-body-2-regular spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__attribution\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marketing manager, 35-44, US municipal arts center<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>91.1%<\/strong> of respondents globally agreed that their work has a positive influence on audiences and communities. This drops slightly in the UK, but remains positive at <strong>81.2%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This compares to just <strong>51%<\/strong> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cipd.org\/globalassets\/media\/knowledge\/knowledge-hub\/reports\/2024-pdfs\/8625-good-work-index-2024-survey-report-1-web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">all UK workers<\/a> who agreed that their work was useful to society.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The work I do has a positive impact on society:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/positive-impact-society-uk.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-941578\" style=\"width:500px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/positive-impact-society-uk.webp 940w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/positive-impact-society-uk-300x59.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/positive-impact-society-uk-768x151.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what does social impact look like in practice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Written responses showed that arts, culture, and live experience workers carry a deep sense of obligation, importance, and responsibility \u2013 a belief that connecting audiences with the arts has a profound impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote wp-block-spektrix-blog-attribution-quote\">\n\t<img\n\t\tclass=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__mark\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/themes\/spektrix-2026\/assets\/images\/blog\/Green-Quote.svg\"\n\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\twidth=\"48\"\n\t\theight=\"42\"\n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\/>\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-quote-lg spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__quote\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"quote\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add quote\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Quote\" \t\t\t>I live in a polarized community, and I believe the arts are something that most people value and can bring people together, increase empathy, and build unity.<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"text-body-2-regular spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__attribution\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Production department lead, 35-44, US university venue<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Influencing forces: Why are workers leaving the arts, culture, and in-person experience sector?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers\u2019 commitment is something to celebrate, but also a cause for concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their sense of obligation to the sector and society risks enabling a culture in which low pay, limited progression opportunities, and unmanageable expectations are the norm \u2013 a culture where passion can turn to burnout and resentment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A genuine struggle to make ends meet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Low pay is the primary reason for leaving the sector, with around a third of exit decisions driven by inadequate compensation or benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the UK, only <strong>35.1%<\/strong> of respondents feel their pay is fair and proportionate \u2013 significantly below the <strong>51%<\/strong> satisfaction rate seen in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cipd.org\/globalassets\/media\/knowledge\/knowledge-hub\/reports\/2024-pdfs\/8625-good-work-index-2024-survey-report-1-web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wider UK workforce benchmarks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote wp-block-spektrix-blog-attribution-quote\">\n\t<img\n\t\tclass=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__mark\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/themes\/spektrix-2026\/assets\/images\/blog\/Green-Quote.svg\"\n\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\twidth=\"48\"\n\t\theight=\"42\"\n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\/>\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-quote-lg spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__quote\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"quote\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add quote\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Quote\" \t\t\t>I don&#039;t want to go anywhere. Not at all. There&#039;s no place like this, and I want the theater to succeed. But I just don&#039;t know if the board understands the strain of the current salaries. We do offer health insurance, but I get mine through the Affordable Care Act exchange. My salary is low enough that I qualify for subsidies.<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"text-body-2-regular spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__attribution\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leader, 55-64, US independent arts center<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Limited opportunities for progression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers at almost every level feel they are learning and developing new skills \u2013 but workforce development is often informal, and opportunities for progression and promotion are low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>68%<\/strong> of UK-based respondents feel they have opportunities to learn new skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, only <strong>27%<\/strong> of the UK arts, culture, and live experience workforce are satisfied with their opportunities for promotion \u2013 only slightly over half the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cipd.org\/globalassets\/media\/knowledge\/knowledge-hub\/reports\/2024-pdfs\/8625-good-work-index-2024-survey-report-1-web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">national benchmark<\/a> of <strong>38%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a broader rethink of how organisations attract and support talent, explore our guide to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-gb\/rethinking-recruitment-inclusive-hiring\"> <strong>rethinking recruitment<\/strong><\/a>, which outlines more inclusive, sustainable hiring practices for the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Progression comes at the cost of work-life balance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For workers who do progress to senior leadership and executive roles, work-life balance is often seriously askew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaders often find themselves doing multiple jobs, managing high-level strategy while simultaneously dealing with ground-level issues such as building maintenance or staffing shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote wp-block-spektrix-blog-attribution-quote\">\n\t<img\n\t\tclass=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__mark\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/themes\/spektrix-2026\/assets\/images\/blog\/Green-Quote.svg\"\n\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\twidth=\"48\"\n\t\theight=\"42\"\n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\/>\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-quote-lg spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__quote\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"quote\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add quote\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Quote\" \t\t\t>I do think there&#039;s a real difference between senior roles in the arts and senior roles elsewhere in the charity sector. In many charities, people at CEO level aren&#039;t worrying about coffee spills or alarms not setting. In our sector, even at senior level, you&#039;re still right there dealing with the issues on the ground. And that difference really matters.<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"text-body-2-regular spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__attribution\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leader, 45-54, UK independent venue<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to retain audience-facing team members in the arts, culture, and live experience sector<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While pay remains the foundation for employee retention, it isn&#8217;t the only lever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many workers will accept lower financial rewards, provided they can continue driving social impact through their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>74.1%<\/strong> of workers globally say work mostly or completely lives up to the promise it held when they entered the arts or events sector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>That&#8217;s only slightly lower in the UK, at <strong>69.5%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote wp-block-spektrix-blog-attribution-quote\">\n\t<img\n\t\tclass=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__mark\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/themes\/spektrix-2026\/assets\/images\/blog\/Green-Quote.svg\"\n\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\twidth=\"48\"\n\t\theight=\"42\"\n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\/>\n\t<div class=\"spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"text-quote-lg spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__quote\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-acf-inline-contenteditable=\"1\" data-acf-inline-contenteditable-field-slug=\"quote\" data-acf-placeholder=\"Add quote\u2026\" data-acf-toolbar-title=\"Quote\" \t\t\t>I freaking love my job, love the organisation I work for, and believe in its mission. It&#039;s been almost 19 years since I switched careers to working in the performing arts. While I&#039;d love to earn more money (and realistically could with what I do) I wouldn&#039;t sell my soul again for any amount of money.<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"text-body-2-regular spektrix-blog-attribution-quote__attribution\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Data analytics manager, 55-64, Canadian independent festival<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organisations can&#8217;t rely on improved government funding or sector-wide growth to improve working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there are actions that leaders can take now to ease pressure, protect wellbeing, and strengthen the case for higher pay in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the short term, those changes could tip the balance for committed people, giving them the working conditions they need to stay in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the long term, this could enable teams to drive even more powerful outcomes \u2013 growing revenue, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-us\/blog\/performing-arts-software-audience-relationships\">deepening audience relationships<\/a>, and delivering even greater impact in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more targeted advice, this<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-gb\/blog\/rethinking-recruitment-hiring-customer-donor-relationship-management-roles\"> <strong>best practice guide for recruitment to CRM roles<\/strong><\/a> offers practical steps to attract and retain the audience-focused specialists critical to long-term growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What would help you spend more time on the parts of your work that bring you joy?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"382\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-would-help-spend-time-work-brings-you-joy-uk.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-941579\" style=\"width:500px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-would-help-spend-time-work-brings-you-joy-uk.webp 940w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-would-help-spend-time-work-brings-you-joy-uk-300x122.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-would-help-spend-time-work-brings-you-joy-uk-768x312.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked what would help them spend more time on work that brings them joy, respondents worldwide prioritised cultural and operational shifts that make everyday work more sustainable:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Almost a third, <strong>29.9%<\/strong>, called for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-gb\/blog\/collaboration-in-the-arts\">better collaboration and communication across teams<\/a> as their priority \u2013 stronger connections between colleagues, leadership, and audience-facing teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A quarter, <strong>25.5%<\/strong>, felt it was important that they could work more efficiently and build greater impact, using systems and processes that support joined-up work rather than adding more friction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Investing in resilience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0The people whose work connects audiences with the arts, culture, and live experiences are pragmatic, altruistic, and ready to lead change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many respondents \u2013 unsurprisingly \u2013 wanted to increase budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few asked for that change in isolation from broader cultural and operational improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They recognised the difficulties facing the sector and its leaders, and <strong>sought the chance to face the challenge together<\/strong>, building more open, collaborative relationships between teams and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With around a quarter of the workforce questioning their future \u2013 and many of the most talented and dedicated team members stretched to the limit \u2013 it is increasingly vital that organisations make that commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is real potential to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-gb\/blog\/building-high-performance-teams-arts-culture-entertainment\">stabilise teams<\/a>, protect institutional knowledge, and ensure the arts continue to thrive by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Building a culture of transparency between leaders and audience-facing teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritising efficient, joined-up processes that reduce repetitive work and free time for audience engagement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating clear pathways for growth, progression, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-us\/case-study\/arts-leadership-st-anns-warehouse\">leadership development<\/a> across teams<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>Leaders must dare to invest, because the sector can\u2019t risk standing still.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Employee retention in the UK arts and events sector is at a tipping point, driven by social impact but threatened by low pay and progression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[121,120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-culture","category-sector-insights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":941583,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions\/941583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spektrix.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}