A whopping 87% of workers in the UK say they put their personal career ambitions ahead of workplace friendships, according to a new study.
CV-Library said the findings of its research are good news for business, with workers seemingly focused on succeeding, rather than pleasing friends, despite over 90% of those surveyed saying it's important to make friends at work.
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “This is great news for businesses. It’s always very difficult for companies to find the balance between encouraging team building and friendships alongside productivity. However, they are clearly doing a great job! The job market is currently facing a number of economic uncertainties, so it’s good to know that UK employees are still as ambitious as ever – this positive morale is essential to a business' success.”
However, the research also revealed that a small portion of workers struggle to balance personal relationships with their jobs. 8.9% of employees admitted to quitting their dream job after falling out with their work friends, and a surprising 19.1% have stayed in a job they hate just to stay close to their work friends.
Mr Biggins added: “Both of these scenarios should be looked in to. If a member of staff is only driven by their workplace friendships, it’s possible they aren’t delivering for the company. And losing staff because an internal relationship turns sour is obviously not good for business.
“While our data shows that most workers put their work first, employers should be cautious of those who aren’t as sensible. Despite being the minority, employees that don’t conduct themselves professionally will set a bad example to others. This is particularly important when bringing on new recruits, and in the current job market, many UK employers are actively expanding their workforce.”
Despite a slight monthly decline in job advertisements, CV-Library reported an 8.1% growth in vacancies during April when compared to the same period in the previous year. This was supported by a 22.6% year-on-year increase in job applications in April 2016.
