The softly-spoken talents in Britain's workforce feel they're struggling to reach their potential at work because pushier rivals are shunting them aside. According to new research being strident in the workplace often counts for more than ability and qualifications when it comes to reaping the rewards of pay and promotion. While the majority recognise that confidence is key to success at work, they admit it doesn't come naturally. Everyone can change. The skills to acquire confidence are well researched and they work.
Most people find summoning the courage to ask for a promotion difficult.
Eighty one per cent of respondents had never requested a promotional move even when they believed they deserved it. When it comes to money-matters, tongues are just as tied. Joining a new company can be unsettling. A third of people take more than a month to settle in while a quarter are still struggling after three months. Unfriendly colleagues or managers are blamed by 11 per cent of people for making life difficult on arrival and a disturbing 12 per cent of people had suffered at the hands of an office bully.