Workers 'glum' as downturn bites

Employers are asking staff to put in more hours

The credit crunch has led to a jump in the number of office workers who describe themselves as unhappy, a survey suggests.

The survey by recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clark indicates that 26% of office workers are unhappy at work.

This is the highest level since Badenoch & Clark began compiling their work happiness index in April 2007 and is up from 21% in April 2008.

The rise was put down to stretched resources and bigger workloads.

The survey of 1,086 office workers suggested that one in 10 is spending the equivalent to an extra day each week at their desks compared to the start of 2008.

More hours

The study said that more than a third of employers were not replacing staff on maternity leave or those who have moved on.

HR and banking staff reported the highest increases in workload, it added.

"We have been running this index for a while now and levels of happiness amongst British office workers have remained quite static, so it's eye-opening to see such a big jump in unhappy workers over the last three months," said Neil Wilson, managing director of Badenoch & Clark.

"People are being asked to put in more hours in the office and that is clearly starting to take its toll."

He urged employers not to ignore the happiness of their workers and said those that did risked losing staff when the good times returned.