A confidence crisis is growing among British employees

More than a third of British employees lack confidence to ask for a pay rise

Zlata Rodionova
Thursday 10 September 2015 15:08 BST
Comments
File photo
File photo (mediaphotos/E+/Getty Creative)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

British employees are going through a 'confidence-crisis' in the workplace with public speaking being amongst the worst fears, according to new research.

More than third of respondents revealed they are afraid to ask for a pay rise, while a quarter do not claim the time off they are owed, according to a new study commissioned by Feel Good Contact Lenses and conducted by Red Dot Research.

A further 21 per cent worry about working closely with their boss on daily basis while 19 per cent are not comfortable when working as part of a team.

The survey reveals that these job-related fears impact confidence and work performance. They can also be a threat to career progression as one in five fail to secure a new job because of their lack of their self-belief.

A further one in 10 of those questioned felt they had missed out on a promotion due to a lack of faith in their own ability.

"It’s evident that British workers are struggling with confidence issues and this could be indicative of the pressure people feel they are under at work, or to look and act a certain way," said a spokesperson for Feel Good Lenses.

She added that small changes, such as standing up straighter and remembering to smile, can help to give people more confidence when they are faced with challenges at work.

A sample of more than 1,000 consumers aged over 18 were surveyed. Out of the 1,014 people surveyed, 682 people worked full time, part time or were self employed.

Top 10 confidence-related issues employees experience in connection with their jobs:

1. Presenting to large groups of people in the office

2. Public speaking

3. Asking for a pay rise

4. Asking for time off in lieu

5. Afraid of putting own ideas forward

6. Client meetings

7. Working with their line manager on a daily basis

8. Worry about working as part of a team

9. Worry they are seen as a push-over

10. Missing out on promotion due to lack of faith in own ability.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in