Most Britons do not consider themselves to be workaholics, according to a survey by employment specialists Begbies Traynor. Despite 98 per cent of respondents stressing that it was important to them to be perceived as good at their job, 81 per cent acknowledged that they worked to live rather than lived to work. Although such an attitude is positive in some respects, a worrying 30 per cent of respondents claimed that one in four of their colleagues were simply ‘serving time’ at work rather than climbing the career ladder.

In terms of the ideal length of time employees believed they should stay at one particular firm, most believed it to be three to four years. Younger age groups displayed their ‘itchy feet’ by citing two years as their ideal contract period. With this in mind, employers should take note that a staggering 97 per cent of respondents claimed that if they felt stale or demotivated they would leave their job on their own accord.

Begbies Traynor senior partner Nick Hood said: “As business rescue experts, one of the fundamental problems we often encounter is how badly the workforce is performing, and that depends on how well they are trained, rewarded and inspired by their bosses. It’s a hunch, but we suspect that if we had run our survey in the powerhouse 1980’s, rather more people would claim to live to work than today. That said, employers will take heart from the importance people put on being good at their jobs and that they take it upon themselves to find a new job if they no longer have job satisfaction.”

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