Workers pressured by bosses to take on extra work

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Many British employees are finding themselves performing tasks for their bosses that fall outside of their job description, according to budgeting account provider thinkmoney.

Their research showed that 70 percent of workers are regularly taking on extra tasks at work, with 32 percent of people saying they undertake tasks that are their boss’s responsibility and 20 percent reporting that they lie in order to cover up for their boss.

Ian Williams of thinkmoney said:

“In these uncertain times, it’s understandable that workers often feel under pressure to do more to keep their boss happy. It’s all well and good to do an extra job or two to help your employer but, when those extra jobs start to become expected and workers feel that they have no choice, it can cause stress and potentially lead to bigger problems down the line.”

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When asked why they take on extra duties at work more than half (55%) of employees said that they were happy to do it. However, 39 percent of respondents said that they felt they had no choice.

Younger workers between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely to add extra tasks to their to do lists in order to impress their boss (11%) and over half of that age group reported feeling pressured to take on more work.

Things workers do to help out the boss                          

Buy their lunch                                    36%

Give them a lift                                    36%

Go to the Post Office                          34%

Do their work for them                        32%

Do shopping for them                          30%

Buy their coffee                                   28%

Make travel or dinner reservations     20%

Lie for them                                          20%

Walk their dog                                     13%

Pick-up their dry cleaning                   13%

Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.

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