British workers under pressure from their managers to take on extra work

A third of people (32%) say they complete tasks that their manager should be doing, according to research* from budgeting account provider thinkmoney. A fifth of workers (20%) even admit to lying to cover their boss’ back. When asked why they take on tasks that are outside of their job description, more than half (55%) claim that they are happy to do them. However, 39% say they feel they have no choice in taking on the extra work.

Younger workers (aged 25-34) are the ones feeling the most pressure, with half of those questioned feeling obliged to agree to their manager’s requests. Not surprisingly, younger workers are also more likely to want to impress their boss, with just over 1 in ten (11%) giving this as a reason for going the extra mile. This compares with just 1 in 50 people aged over 55 agreeing to do extra work to impress their boss.

Ian Williams of thinkmoney says: ‘In these uncertain times, it’s understandable that workers often feel under pressure to do more to keep their boss happy. And it’s all well and good to do an extra job or two to help your employer. But, when those extra jobs start to become expected and workers feel that they have no choice, it can cause stress and potentially lead to bigger problems down the line.”

Some of the things workers do to help out the boss
Buy their lunch – 36%
Give them a lift – 36%
Go to the Post Office – 34%
Do their work for them – 32%
Do shopping for them – 30%
Buy their coffee – 28%
Make travel or dinner reservations – 20%
Lie for them – 20%
Walk their dog – 13%
Pick-up their dry cleaning – 13%

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*OnePoll questioned a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults aged 18 and over between 11th February and 23rd February 2015, of whom 635 were in Scotland.

About thinkmoney
thinkmoney provides an alternative to a High Street bank account that makes it easier to budget. The account, for which fees are payable, ring-fences money needed for regular commitments, like bills and savings. It also comes with a ‘Money Manager’ service to help customers to manage their accounts.
thinkmoney Personal Accounts don’t require a credit check and are available to UK residents over the age of 18 who can prove their identity. Website: http://www.thinkmoney.co.uk/

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