More than 9.5 million workers think they are unable to reach their full potential in their job and 12 million are unhappy with their boss.

According to the 2009 Randstad Employment Trends Survey, 33% of the British workforce feel unable to reach their full potential at work and 34% (10 million staff) think their company culture prevents them from performing to their best. Two fifths (40%) do not think their boss brings out the best in them.

Employers admit their staff might not be in the right place, estimating 20% of staff would be better suited to a different role within the company and 16% would be better off in a different company.

Almost seven out of 10 employers (69%) think staff leave their organisation because of a poor relationship with the boss. But employers agree staff could be 10% more productive if they had a better ‘job alignment'.

Di Hartley, head of strategic HR at Ranstad, said: "Keeping employees motivated to help maintain productivity is critical as we head further into recession. Yet firms are failing to engage their workforce by placing people in the wrong role with the wrong boss, even the wrong company.

"At this stage of the economic cycle this is rather too much baggage to be carrying."