One office romance, 30,000 cups of tea and 705 minor disagreements,
(some of which undoubtedly are about the tea round); mark the passage of
the average British office worker’s 47 years of active service. These findings
are part of a brand new study commissioned by The Association of
Accounting Technicians which provides a fascinating snapshot of how we
work now.
Office Breaks Snapshot of office life
2000 people were interviewed as part of the study which tracks the average life of a British office worker from 18 to 65.
The study’s most startling statistic is the 9042 hours of unpaid overtime that the average British office worker contributes to the UK economy – equating to four extra hours every week and a loss of £153,408. Working so much unpaid overtime, it’s not surprising that 54% of those surveyed feel that their career has impacted on their personal relationships. If this is you, read my tips on how to leave work on time and how to do a full day’s work in one hour.
Lack of job security is often cited as one of the main reasons for the UK’s long-hours culture and the survey reveals that almost half (45%) of those interviewed have been made redundant at last once, experiencing two periods of serious financial worry.
The search for new employment typically involves up to ten interviews for the average British office worker with some suffering up to twenty-five, before finally meeting their match. With six job moves during the average career, gaining new workplace skills has never been so important as jobs for life become a relic of the past.
Not surprisingly, office politics is a key theme of the survey – with the average British office worker experiencing three major bust-ups in their career either with the boss, colleague or a client and with smaller disagreements creating tension up to fifteen times in the average year. Office romance on the other hand seems thin on the ground, though an opportunistic 6% manage to juggle six romances in between the budget setting and powerpoint presentations.
Do you agree with the report’s findings? Please share your views.