Press Releases

(London – 27 April 2009) Recession battered Brits are now so stressed by news of the downturn and the fear of redundancy that they are actively avoiding the chance of promotion, new research from the world’s largest recruiter, Adecco, reveals today.

 

The survey of 1,000 UK employees from a range of business sectors revealed that Britain may soon be a nation of underachievers, as 45 per cent are now so concerned about the increased stress of more responsibility and the greater threat of losing their job as a result of being in a higher wage bracket, that they are actively shunning the opportunity to be promoted.

 

With the research also showing that more than two thirds (71 per cent) of workers know someone who has recently been made redundant, it seems like the Public Sector could be set for an influx of job applications, with 61 per cent craving the sector’s perceived job security. Three quarters (75 per cent) said the recession had made them less likely to leave their job voluntarily, and the recession has stifled many Brit’s travel ambitions, with a tiny seven per cent saying that they would consider throwing in the towel to go see the world instead.

 

Commenting on the findings, Catherine King, CEO of Adecco Group UK and Ireland, says: “It’s worrying that so many people now see the chance to take an important next step on their career path as a negative thing to do. While you would expect there to be some fallout from the recession when it comes to how people see their jobs, that nearly half now see promotion as a way of being ‘set up to fail’ is particularly alarming”.

 

“In the vast majority of cases, promotion is offered deservedly and with purpose, because employers want their people to step up to the mark. Promotion should be seen as a way to strengthen your position in the workplace, gain new skills and as a chance to show how invaluable you are to your employer, so we’d urge people to overcome the fear and do everything they can to keep their careers moving in the right direction “.

 

Office gossip may be propagating employee fears about the likely effect of the recession on their business, with 76 per cent stating that the recession was now a major talking point in their place of work.

 

The research also revealed that healthcare and education workers can sleep relatively easily at night in spite of the tougher economy; just 53 per cent of those surveyed said that they thought employees in those sectors would be likely to lose their jobs, compared to the 96 per cent who said that sales staff could find themselves dropped by firms.