According to the latest research from leading job board, CV-Library, over half (56.4%) of UK professionals believe their colleagues don’t work hard enough, with a further 76.7% stating that this impacts how they feel about their job.
The survey explored the topic of professional relationships in the workplace, to find out how Brits feel about their co-workers and whether they’re happy for their colleagues’ successes.
Interestingly, the majority of professionals (55.5%) work with people they dislike or find frustrating, with just over a third (34.4%) of employees also stating that their workplace has a negative atmosphere because of this.
Employees then revealed how they felt at work as a result of others’ negativity, with the top five responses including:
- Wanting to leave the company - 45.5%
- Low morale across the team - 18.5%
- Dreading going to work - 14.9%
- An awkward working environment - 11%
- Want the colleagues involved to leave – 6.5%
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments on the findings:
“It’s concerning to learn that over half of Brits feel their fellow workers aren’t pulling their weight. This can be demotivating, unfair and frustrating for employees. What’s more, the negativity that professionals are reporting is bad news for both workers and businesses.
“Having positive working relationships is important in order to work well as a team and co-operate with others. Not to mention that friendships at work can help to make the working days more enjoyable, giving opportunities for support and socialising.
“If you’re facing negative or difficult colleagues who make you want to leave your role, or cause low morale and a bad working environment, it might be time to discuss these feelings with your manager. After all, no one should be made to dislike their job by another’s bad attitude.”
What’s more, the study revealed that despite the majority (88.9%) saying that they do always support their colleagues, 25.5% become jealous when their co-workers get a promotion.
Furthermore, over a third (36.7%) admit to discussing salaries with the colleagues, with one in three (37%) becoming jealous if they don’t earn as much, or that their co-worker received a pay rise.
Biggins continues: “While professionals do claim to support their colleagues, it’s apparent that this can be challenging when competition, pay and the desire for success gets in the way. Work can be stressful, so it’s important that employees do have those support systems in place to help them. Plus it’s a shame that a number of people admit to feeling jealous of their co-workers success.
“If you’ve missed out on an opportunity, promotion or pay rise that your colleague received, remember that you shouldn’t compare your success to theirs. However, it might be worth asking for feedback from your manager to find out what you can do next time.”
