London has long been known as the place to be for work in the UK. It's the wealthy capital after all, bursting with opportunities and higher salaries that attracts a mass exodus of workers from small hometowns who move to the big smoke in a bid to live out their dreams.
But a smaller city, just an hour's train away from London, has instead achieved the top spot this year as the best place to work - which is Cambridge.
Amid labour shortages and declining wages prompting growing unrest and strikes among employees, Glassdoor - the job search site that sees employees review companies - set out to find just where the UK's workers are happiest.
After analysing more than 100,000 anonymous reviews, they found that workers in Cambridge are the most satisfied with their jobs, scoring a rating of 3.91 out of 5 - well above the UK average of 3.79 in Glassdoor reviews - followed shortly behind by Brighton and then Bristol.
Meanwhile, research by job site Adzuna shows the average Cambridge salary is £38,784 - much higher than the UK average of £33,280, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Cambridge's success among employees might be down to the type of companies located there, which appear to encourage innovation and autonomy among staff.
A software company - located not far from the city centre at The Bradfield Centre - understands why the area comes out top, seeing as their own rating on Glassdoor remarkably stands at 4.9 out of 5.
CEO Kevin Boyle, who started Gearset five years ago alongside Matt Dickens, says the city is home to a ton of innovative tech companies, which creates competition to attract the best talent.
"This competitive, high-growth climate means companies need to be at the top of their game to appeal to the best talent - and not just by offering obvious things such as hybrid working," he tells the Mirror.
"Employees want to work in a trusting and collaborative environment where they can develop, and be part of a company with a clear mission they can get behind."
He says the company offers competitive salaries and benefits, alongside career progression.
"Cambridge is a beautiful city to live in, and businesses benefit from a steady stream of bright graduates who choose to stay in the area, as well as attracting tech talent from around the world," Kevin adds.
A large Cambridge tech firm, that has been around for 35 years, is TTP - which has scientists and engineers develop new products and technologies.
They're located a bit further out in the village of Melbourn and have a Glassdoor rating of 4.6 out of 5.
Their Chief People Officer, Chantal Taylor, says many of their staff prefer working in the city over London because of its contrasts.
"It's a beautiful place with all the amenities and culture of a city surrounded by small intimate villages and countryside and many of our people prefer that to London living," Chantal says.
"There's also something in the water here, something which inspires the desire for freedom and invention that a firm like ours is built on.
"We're a bunch of scientists, engineers, and designers developing technologies and products that have a real impact on people's lives, from satellite communications to flu diagnostics and cutting-edge medical devices.
"But we couldn't do what we do without autonomy. We're employee-owned, so there's a sense of collective responsibility and a cohesion which really helps us to deliver."
A woman who finds herself serving the professionals of Cambridge is Adilia Frazao, who owns artisan bakery - Norfolk Street Bakery.
The 53-year-old, from Portugal, opened up shop in 2012 after working as a chef in the capital.
She admits she didn't know much about the city apart from the university (which is second-best in the UK), but when she saw the unit come available on Gumtree, she knew she had to have it.
"It's been a surprise for me," Adilia says on relocating to start her own business.
"There are lots of professionals here and nobody complains about it. It is a small city but it still has everything you need.
"The people are quite friendly and we have people from all over the world. After 10 years, I've built a relationship with the customers, especially after the lockdowns when we could stay open."
In 2017, Norfolk St. opened a second shop at no.7 Station Road - which catches the commuter rush.
She has three members of staff and likes to say she believes they still manage a healthy social life alongside their 8 hours a day in the bakery.
"I wouldn't leave or move my business from Cambridge now," the entrepreneur continues.
"I still like to visit my friends in London but it's the feeling of community here."
Meanwhile, Philip Dickinson, Cambridge-born and bred sales manager of Hockeys Cambridge Estate Agents, says the city's transport links make it a great place to work.
He adds: "There's an awful lot on offer here for workers after work, there are lots of sports centres, green spaces for dog walks, lots of places for activities. It's a beautiful place."
At the other end of the scale, Liverpool scored the lowest for overall job satisfaction at 3.65 out of 5. Sheffield and Coventry placed just above with 3.66 each.
London came in at fifth place with a score of 3.85 while other cities that made it into the top 10 included Manchester in eighth place and Wales' capital of Cardiff in 10th.
Commenting on the research, Lauren Thomas, UK economist at Glassdoor said: "London is often romanticised as the city to reach the peak of your career and earning capacity, but Glassdoor's latest analysis shows that you can find a job with a great salary and work-life balance outside of the M25. Smaller cities are winning the hearts of workers.
"With its position as the UK's sixth best city for work-life balance, London is living up to its reputation as a pressure cooker.
"The capital's amazing career opportunities and top pay are commonly cited to justify the stress, however, it seems that job seekers don't always agree; London placed sixth for compensation and benefits - despite the highest salaries in the country.
"While this doesn't necessarily mean London salaries are low, it could be a strong indicator that rising rents and house prices, the cost of living crisis and inflation are making the city unaffordable."
Top 10 UK places to work
Of the 20 cities analysed, the 10 UK cities with the highest employee satisfaction:
Cambridge - 3.91 / 5 job satisfaction score
Brighton - 3.88
Bristol - 3.87
Newcastle - 3.87
London - 3.85
Leeds - 3.84
Nottingham - 3.81
Manchester - 3.8
Oxford - 3.8
Cardiff - 3.77
Company culture and values key to employee satisfaction
When leaving a review on Glassdoor, employees rate their company across seven workplace factors. Each rating provides job seekers with authentic and otherwise hard-to-find information about a company to deepen workplace transparency.
Previous Glassdoor research found a company's culture and values are the primary drivers of employee satisfaction; Cambridge again came out top amongst workers, scoring this workplace factor 3.89 out of 5, while Sheffield scored lowest with 3.54.
Cambridge employees also ranked their city highest for career opportunities (3.67 out of 5), whereas workers in Liverpool said their city was the lowest scoring at just 3.35.
Employees in Brighton are the most satisfied with their pay and benefits packages (3.6) and Liverpool workers the least (3.3). Brighton employees also rated their city highest for senior leadership with a score of 3.6, while Coventry rated senior leadership teams lowest (3.31).
Since the pandemic, burnout has been on the rise with mentions in Glassdoor reviews increasing every year. Workers in Brighton ranked their city top for work-life balance (3.8) while the Scottish city of Glasgow scored lowest (3.53).
Glassdoor's 2023 workplace trends report shows that diversity and inclusion policies are increasingly important to job seekers, particularly younger workers. Newcastle scored 4.1 for D&I - much higher than the UK average of 3.89. At the other end of the list is Sheffield which scored 3.82, closely followed by Liverpool (3.82).
On average, 63 per cent of UK workers have a positive business outlook for their company. This is highest among workers in Cambridge (69%), Brighton (67%) and London (67%) and lowest among employees in Sheffield (57%), Coventry (59%) and Milton Keynes (59%).
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