A payrise could ruin your social life

Friends Reunitedís newly appointed Friendship Panel reveals in its 1st report on a year-long study into friendship in modern Britain.

A pay rise is meant to improve your lifestyle, or so people think, but a survey into how money affects friendship in the UK reveals that it could actually damage your social life as rivalry sets in.

The research, conducted by Friends Reunited, offers a fascinating insight into how gender and the level of household income affect friendships. Asked how they would react to a friend being promoted above them, two in every five males with a household income of 80,000-90,000 said they would ditch their friend; making them three times more likely to do so than a female in the same bracket. Those with a household income exceeding 90,000, however, were far more supportive of their friendís success.

Panel member Rebecca Cooper, a 29 year old recruitment entrepreneur from Tonic-Consulting, London, said: ìI have seen numerous cases whereby a mid-management individual is promoted internally and awarded a substantial pay increase. This can be a sensitive time for the business or the department concerned as many ënoses may be put out of jointí and personnel may be more inclined to exit the company than if an external appointment had been made. This is a case clearly defined by the research which suggests people can frequently be adverse to holding a direct reporting line into friends who previously earned the same as them.î

ìAny potential rivalry in the workplace associated with financial status is far less likely to occur at executive level as the competition for executive roles is fierce and success at this level of seniority is largely dependent upon excellent interpersonal relationships within the workplace. Rivalry amongst peers at board or executive level does exist but perhaps to a lesser degree than at mid management level where many individuals are fighting for promotion.î

The findings confirm that rivalry seems to be a seniority issue with men aged under 25 being the most likely to discuss their earnings with a friend ñ 70% would ask a friend how much they earned and 90% would disclose their own wage; this drops dramatically with age as only 13% of men over 65 would ask the question and only 50% would reveal their income.

The survey also asked how someone would cater for friends with differing incomes on a weekend away. One in three males said they would put their hand in their pocket for a friend who couldnít afford it, but only one in five women said they would do the same. Older men are even more generous, with those over 56 almost twice as likely to treat a friend, than women in the same age bracket.

Interestingly, generosity doesnít grow with household income levels as those bringing in 30,000 or less (around the national average of 28k source: NSO í05-í06) were more likely (1 in 4) to pay for a friend than someone with a household income of two to three times that on 60,000-90,000 (1 in 5). Only when household income exceeded 150,000 were people more prepared to treat their mates (2 in 5).

Despite our hang-ups about money, reassuringly the research shows that weíre still there for our friends when they need us the most.

Jon Clark, Head of Friends Reunited and Chairman of the Panel, said: ìThey say that money is the root of all evil, but overall the research reveals that friendship does transcend wealth. Yes, weíre all guilty from time to time of making comparisons with our mates (thatís why most people logon to Friends Reunited), but itís comforting to know that when the chips are down 99% of respondents said they would either change their own lifestyle for a friend whoíd lost his job or treat them more often.î