Survey Reveals 9 - 5 Jobs Fast Becoming A Thing of the Past

United Kingdom

• Survey reveals more than two-thirds work more than 40 hours per week on average

• Professionals in risk, lawyers, HR and marketing jobs work the longest hours

68% of professionals work more than 40 hours per week on average, according to a survey of almost 2,200 office workers by recruitment specialists Robert Walters. The results also reveal that only 26% ‘never’ work on weekends, while only 16% take their full lunch break. At the same time, the majority (77%) do not receive any formal recognition for any extra time worked.

Some professionals work particularly hard, with a relatively high proportion of people in risk (31%), legal (30%), Human Resources professionals (26%) and marketing (24%) jobs working more than 50 hours per week. Similarly, a greater number of lawyers (29%), marketers (27%), IT workers (24%) and HR professionals (23%) either ‘sometimes’ or ‘always’ work on weekends.

In addition, the Robert Walters Career Insights Survey 2011 also reveals that:

• 47% believe three to five years is the optimum time to spend in each job; 30% believe they should change roles every two to three years
• 60% say career progression is the most likely reason for them to seek a new role; few say a disappointing salary review (7%) or a lack of bonus (2%) would cause them to do so
• 43% say that overseas experience is either ‘essential’ or ‘extremely’ useful to their career development
• 78% think they would benefit from a formal mentoring programme but only 39% have participated in one of these
• 52% are either ‘unsure’ or do not think their workplace is as committed as it should be to green policies; 87% say a potential employer’s green policies play either no or only a vague consideration when deciding whether to accept a job offer

Nick Dunnett, Managing Director of London Contract Recruitment at Robert Walters, says:

"The survey results are interesting and reflect the pressure teams and departments are currently under with rising workloads. Perhaps for this reason, we are finding that work-life balance is becoming an increasingly important factor for professionals looking to move jobs.

"While people are prepared to put up with isolated peaks in workload for the good of their career and generally accept it as part and parcel of the job requirement, few are willing to work all hours of the day for extended periods. Employers that recognise this when recruiting are currently able to secure extremely talented people."

Toby Fowlston, Managing Director of Permanent Recruitment at Robert Walters, says:

"With career development overwhelmingly the main reason why professionals seek new jobs and the majority of people believing they would benefit from a mentoring programme. Consequently, employers that focus on their training and development are more likely to retain staff in the current market. Perhaps the survey results are reflective of businesses not having the capacity to offer these incentives at the moment."

"At the same time, however, recruiting employers are looking for people who tick all the boxes. So, individuals who have worked in a few different roles requiring differing knowledge and skills can often be at an advantage when applying for new jobs due to the varied exposure they have had during their career. Financial services firms, for example, actively seek people who have experience of a number of different products and processes.

"At the same time, there is a balance to be struck as an employer is unlikely to be interested in hiring a proven ‘job hopper’. There also needs to be a consistency to a CV in terms of the roles worked. But generally professionals who change jobs every two to three years show an appetite to develop their careers that most recruiting managers will value."

About the Robert Walters Career Insights Survey 2011

The Robert Walters Career Insights Survey asked 2,190 professionals currently working in HR, accountancy, financial services, IT, legal, secretarial & support, marketing and the public sector about their working practices and attitudes to their career. The full survey results are published separately on the Robert Walters website.

For further information, please contact Andrew Smith on 020 7509 8087 or andrew.smith@robertwalters.com.