Almost half of all senior employees admit that they do slack off whilst at work although the majority state that they have been able to get away with this successfully.
According to new research by CV-library, a UK job board, almost half of senior workers (45.5 per cent) admit that they do slack off in the workplace. Despite this, around two-thirds (66.7 per cent) state that they still produce results.
The main reasons for senior employees not working at their full potential in the workplace include a a lack of motivation (57.7 per cent), not feeling challenged (35.6 per cent), feeling as if they’ve already achieved as much as they can (31.7 per cent) and being bored (29.8 per cent).
Even though these employees report not performing to their maximum potential, the vast majority (95.6 per cent) state that nobody has ever commented on their laziness at work, suggesting they are able to get away this without repercussions.
In fact, the majority of senior employees believe that they are actually able to get away with slacking on the job more than junior employees.
Senior employees admitted that they were able to do this through various means including not trying overly hard to impress or be liked by other employees (36.7 per cent), being out of office for a significant portion of their job (30.6 per cent) and chatting to people in communal areas (23.5 per cent).
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:
There’s a big difference between straight-up laziness and employees who aren’t reaching their full potential. It’s shocking to see that so many professionals are able to do their job whilst putting in minimal effort – reaching the top is no excuse for taking your foot off the pedal.
For your own job satisfaction and to set a good example for others, senior employees especially should always be striving for more. Indeed, disengagement appears to be the main issue that needs addressing in the workplace. If you notice an employee that seems switched off, a sideways move internally or increased training and development opportunities could make all the difference to their attitude.
Mr Biggins continues:
It’s a well-known fact that when you’re starting out in your career, there’s marginal room for error and even less room for laziness, whereas senior employees have somewhat earned a little leeway. It’s also interesting to see that they recommended not trying too hard to please others to decrease your workload. There’s something to be said for having a straight-up attitude in the workplace.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
