Workers who have their own office, designated car parking space and earn at least £56,000 have achieved ‘ultimate career success’, a study has found.
According to researchers, those people at the pinnacle of their careers will also be owners of a top-of-the-range company car, and their own property. Other indicators of success in the workplace are never having to work past 4.45pm, answering to no one, and having a personal parking space.
Having at least six ‘flexible’ days and maintaining an easy work-life balance also show someone has ‘made it’ on the career ladder according to respondents.
A spokesman for specialist recruitment company REED recruitment, which conducted the study of 2000 workers, said: “This shows that many British workers have clear aspirations of what their futures could look like, and are ambitious in their targets. This shows optimism in the UK’s workforce, and that is positive for the economy.
“While many respondents don’t yet feel they have achieved ultimate success in their careers, a good three in 10 believe they’re on the right path.”
The study shows UK workers want a degree of flexibility in the benefits they are allowed to take – given the choice, they’d like to have up to seven weeks’ holiday every year. Having enough free time to enjoy at least seven days with the family each month is also a key part of having achieved ultimate career success.
Perks that indicate a person is top of their game include an excellent pension, health care for the entire family and a well-paying bonus scheme. A third of Brits claim the key to career success is having their own PA or secretary to manage their diary (imagine that).
And the study reveals that the ideal age for achieving this ultimate career success is 40; by this point workers hope to have secured themselves respect in the workplace and that all important work-life balance.
Expectations are that a person would have had at least four job roles before getting to the stage where they were at the peak of their career.
15% of respondents claim a gym membership would be a sign of success in the workplace, while 11% would like to have two computer screens on their desk. Just leaving work on time would be a perk according to 21% of Brits, while a further fifth would relish the opportunity to have a say in their company’s strategy.
The REED spokesperson added: “For candidates, the best way to get on the path to career success is to check you’re in the right role. Compare your salary to others at your level, and if you’re not being paid enough or think you deserve more, the ideal next step is to see if there are other jobs out there that could better meet your needs.
“Think about the package as a whole, weighing up factors like holiday, flexibility and ultimately – take home pay.”
Visit reedglobal.com/salarycalculator to find out how much you should be earning.
