Forty per cent of UK workers stay in the office longer than necessary, according to new research.

A fifth of employees say they are expected to work extra hours, due to the UKs so-called presenteeism culture. Yet the Right Corecare report finds that long hours do not always result in increased productivity, with a quarter of those who stay late using the time to surf the internet, while a sixth admit to working late just to make a good impression on their boss. Just over a third say they stay behind to get work done.

While 15% of workers believe staying in work longer will help their careers, only 8% have received a pay rise or promotion as a result. Older workers (45-plus) are more aware of this fact, with just 10% of them believing those who put in more hours are perceived as harder workers (compared with 21% of those aged under 45).

"Its clear many people believe the only way to get ahead is to be visibly seen as hard-working by bosses and colleagues, says Adrienne Heeley, director of work/life services at Right Corecare. As the economy slows down and employees become concerned about their positions within an organisation, this problem could worsen with staff seeking to secure their jobs by being first in and last to leave.

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