The average employee spends the equivalent of more than six working days a year slagging off their boss, a study has found.
A poll of 2000 office workers found more than six in 10 regularly have a moan about their manager to other colleagues during lunch breaks, on social media, or even while sat at their desks.
But these little moans add up to a total of an hour and five minutes of each working week is spent grumbling about their boss – the equivalent of almost six-and-a-half working days each year.
This means the average worker is effectively being paid £678 a year to complain about their boss. And it’s women who are most likely to have a moan, with 68% admitting to doing so, compared to just 57% of men.
They don’t always get away with it though, with almost one in five workers getting caught slagging off their boss – and an unlucky one in 20 being overheard by the very person they were complaining about.
A spokesman for UK-based recruitment company RSG, which commissioned the research, said: “Most people will have the occasional moan and groan about work, but it’s staggering to see just how long these little moans amount to over a longer period of time.
“No one expects you to be happy at work every single second of every day, but getting stuck in a cycle of endless moaning can quickly bring your mood down. Even sitting next to someone who is regularly complaining about your manager can affect your own mood, regardless of whether you agree with them or not.
“We spend a lot of our time at work so if you aren’t happy about something, it’s important to deal with it in the right way to try and rectify it. But it’s also important for employers to make sure their workforce is happy – happy workers are likely to be far more productive than those who spend their days needing to let off steam.”
Researchers revealed the average worker complains or talks about their boss to another person once a day, and has negative thoughts about their manager another eight times a week. One in five workers even admitted to spending the equivalent of at least one hour every day feeling unhappy with their boss.
Despite this, 62% say they try to avoid getting dragged into it whenever someone is complaining at work. But worryingly for employers, half of their workers moan about their manager while at their desk, with another 14% using instant messages or Skype to discuss their gripes with friends and colleagues.
More than one in 10 emails their fellow workers, with one in 20 letting off steam on their social media profile. Less than three in 10 save their complaints for their break time.
The study also found three quarters believe there is a ‘moaning culture’ in their workplace, especially if a certain member of staff or manager is in. 71% say you only need one person to be moaning about the job or their boss for it to bring everyone else’s mood down as well. But more than three quarters reckon they would be far more productive if there was less grumbling going on around them.
