A culture of presenteeism is blighting Britains offices according to a new survey. The new research commissioned by Right Corecare showed that 40% of UK workers remain in their office unnecessarily after working hours with bosses’s demands at the root of the crisis. One in five respondents claimed that over time was expected.

Those workers putting in more hours are not always harder workers as 24% of those polled admitted checking Facebook accounts and online surfing in working hours with 12% admitting arriving at work early when they had not much work on. Achieving work target was a priority for 39% who did work late but 16% stayed late to look as though they were diligent workers.

Staying late only contributed to promotion or a pay rise for 15% of respondents. Younger workers were not as keen on impressing their colleagues with only 21% of those aged 45 and under thinking that those that worked longer hours were percieved as harder workers.

Adrienne Heeley, Director of Work/Life Services at Right Corecare says:
“It’s 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.

“But this ‘jacket-on-the-back-of-the-chair’ approach is counterproductive – it has a detrimental effect on the employee’s well-being, the productivity of the business and the UK’s 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?”