UK offices blighted by culture of ëpresenteeismí

New research from employee wellbeing specialist Right Corecare reveals 40 per cent of UK employees frequently stay in the office longer than necessary. Bossesí demands are at the heart of the problem, with one in five (21 per cent) employees stating that everyone in their office is expected to work extra hours.

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However, longer workers are not necessarily harder workers, as a quarter (24 per cent) admit to checking Facebook or surfing the net on company time and 12 per cent get into work early or leave late even when they have little work to do. Whilst many employees stay in the office simply to get work done (39 per cent), a sixth (16 per cent) admit they work late in order to be perceived as hard working.

However, presenteeism often does not bear fruit according to Right Corecareís research. Although 15 per cent of employees think staying in the office longer will help their career progression, only half this figure (eight per cent) have actually received a promotion or pay rise as a result. And it seems the desire to impress colleagues wanes with age as a fifth of employees (21 per cent) aged under 45 think longer workers are seen as harder workers, a figure that plummets to one in ten for the over 45s.

Unsurprisingly, spending longer at the office is having a detrimental effect on employeesí home lives. One in five (21 per cent) respondents say presenteeism impacts on their personal relationships and a quarter (24 per cent) admit longer hours have an adverse effect on their health.

Adrienne Heeley, Director of Work/Life Services at Right Corecare says:
ìItís clear that many people believe that the only way to get ahead is to be visibly seen as hard working by bosses and colleagues. As the economy slows down and employees become concerned about their positions within an organisation, this problem could worsen - with staff seeking to secure their jobs by being first in and last to leave.

ìBut this ëjacket-on-the-back-of-the-chairí approach is counterproductive ñ it has a detrimental effect on the employeeís well-being, the productivity of the business and the UKís economy as a whole. Given the current climate, organisations should be on the lookout for presenteeism creeping into their offices and take the same proactive approach as they do for absenteeism as the costs can be equally high. Additionally, they should consider both how individuals are rewarded and what they are rewarded for; skills and ability or merely endurance?î

The research also trounces the perception that the private sector works longer and harder than the public sector, with as many people frequently working late in public sector organisations (39 per cent) as in their private sector counterparts (42 per cent).

Despite the common notion that London bosses work their employees hardest, the South West is displaying the highest rates of presenteeism, with half (50 per cent) the workforce frequently working beyond their contracted hours. East Anglia is the region with the fewest workers at risk of presenteeism, with only thirty per cent of employees frequently being in the office outside their prescribed work day.

For some, however, work is seen as a sanctuary rather than a sweatshop, with one in twenty men claiming they would rather be in the office than at home.

* Presenteeism is ìwhere people feel obliged to work longer hours than are necessary simply to impress management.î

Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)