This week we’ve heard a great deal from the Prime Minister about “hardworking people,” but it appears over 50 per cent of workers believe they simply cannot work any harder for their boss.
David Cameron has spoken a great deal about hardworking people
In a study conducted by recruitment agency Randstad, 53 per cent of the 2000 respondents questioned claimed their current job requires them to do the work of 1.4 people, up from 45 per cent only one year ago. This is the equivalent of working a full seven day week and often means many sacrifice social occasions or family routine in a bid to remain on top of their workload.
Furthermore, 22 per cent believe that they are doing the work of two or more people, clearly demonstrating the need for many businesses to consider taking on additional staff in order to ease the burden on existing employees.
Chief executive of Randstad UK and Middle East, Mark Bull, believes that a major reason for the increase in pressure is the economic recovery.
He says; “There is little doubt UK employees are working harder than ever; spread-thin Britain is being stretched even thinner.
“Up until recently, firms were reluctant to take on staff because they were concerned the nascent economic recovery could be easily derailed.
“As a result, existing staff have taken on increasingly large workloads, particularly as the recovery has gained momentum and demand has increased.”
Social care tops the table for demanding roles, with 53.9 per cent of workers in the sector believing that they could not feasibly take on any more work than they currently have. Legal and technological workers follow closely behind, with 49.4 per cent and 49.3 per cent respectively.
Surprisingly, construction workers seemed more than happy to take on additional tasks, with only 39.4 per cent calling themselves overstretched. This is despite a flood of both commercial property and housing projects appearing in the pipeline over the past few months, triggered by the economic recovery.
Do you feel you are overstretched in your workplace or, like construction workers, are you happy to take on extra tasks?
