One in five (20 per cent) women fear they will be considered a pest if they ask for advice on workplace and career issues compared to just 14 per cent of males, according to new research.
Workers over 55 are the least likely to look for guidance on workplace issues. Credit: Fotolia
The survey conducted by rungway, the app to meet, help and be helped on work and life questions, survyed 2,000 UK workers in full time employment.
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Julie Chakraverty, founder at rungway, said: “It seems there is a lot of variation in peoples’ approach to managing work issues, but a common thread throughout is that some people are afraid of asking for help and being seen as a pest, even when work issues affect their sleep every week.
“Actually, ignoring issues can make things worse, and what we’ve seen on rungway is that many people around us do want to help and are offering advice regularly.”
It found among UK workers, almost half (49 per cent) said they never look for guidance on workplace and career issues.
Yet, almost one in five (19 per cent) said that work issues affect their sleep on a weekly basis.
One in 10 feel like they have no one to talk to about work problems or that no one would understand their work issue.
Oxford workers are the region losing the most sleep over work issues. Almost a third (32 per cent) of Oxford workers say their sleep is affected by work issues on a weekly basis.
Belfast and Londoners were next, with a quarter (25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively) losing sleep weekly, followed by those in Birmingham (22 per cent). Conversely, those in Glasgow are the least affected, with just 12 per cent having their sleep affected by work issues on a weekly basis.
Does age play a role?
It seems young people are most afraid of being considered a pest, with 18 to 34-year-olds citing it as the main reason they would not ask for advice on work issues.
The 25 to 34-year-old age group also held concerns that no-one would understand their work issue (18 per cent), that they have no one to turn to (14 per cent), or that they are afraid to ask (12 per cent).
Among those a little older, 23 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds and 22 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds do not ask for advice as they feel other people are too busy to help. Not wanting to seem like a pest was still the second greatest reason for these age groups not asking for advice (21 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).
Workers over 55 are the least likely to look for guidance on workplace issues (69 per cent).
