The research asked workers to reveal their office habits anonymously, with 9% admitting to doing 'the bear minimum on a daily basis.'
The most common times when employees were found to reduce their output were when their boss was on holiday, when there was no pay reviews scheduled in the near future, when they worked as part of a large team or when they were faced with repetitive tasks, which required little creative thinking.
It was revealed that staff were almost a third (31%) more likely to coast at work if they were employed by a large firm compared to a small firm, with many citing the fact that their output was either unnoticed or unappreciated.
A further 19% said they would only work harder or for longer when they knew there was a direct reward depending upon them doing so.
But a more diligent 72% of those polled said they would become unhappy at work if they were no longer challenged by the tasks they were given and instead were able to cruise through their day.
Age was also revealed to play a factor, with younger workers shown to be more likely to push themselves at work when compared to those coming towards the end of their careers.
A spokesman from officebroker.com said the findings came as a shock, particularly at a time when employment was at a premium.
He said: "Millions of people are looking for work but it seems many people with a job are not interested in putting in additional effort to ensure they keep theirs.
"The research revealed that those employees most likely to coast were ones whose workload was unmonitored or more difficult to directly trace, with many found to be hiding behind team members in larger organisations - which I think is something a lot of workers can relate to.
"Younger employees were revealed to be more likely to strive to do more at work which is possibly due to them wanting to get their careers off to a strong start, with those nearing retirement found to be more likely to coast through their day.
"It is worth noting that nearly three quarters of workers polled said they actually wouldn't enjoy coasting at work which shows a busy and challenging working schedule can be of benefit to both employer and employee alike."
