The UK’s employees have been busy Googling all sorts of workplace queries. Here’s what’s most on their minds…
Viking has conducted research across a number of professional concerns. This includes questions about bosses, in addition to items related to ‘managers, colleagues and workplaces.’
Workplace queries: about your boss
It appears that employees are largely Googling topics that they may need to discuss with their boss, as the top three search results include:
- Bullying
- Pregnancy
- Leaving the company
There are also some concerning results, with regular searches for:
- ‘Can my boss watch me on CCTV from home? (170 searches each month)
- ‘How to kill your boss’ (one can only hope this is in jest, with 140 searches each month)
- And ‘does my boss fancy me?’ (also 140 searches per month)
‘Do I have to invite my boss to my wedding?’ conversely only receives 10 searches a month.
Reassuringly, 76% of Google searches regarding bosses are actually deemed ‘positive’ in nature.
Workplace queries: about your colleagues
As for the nation’s queries about their colleagues, the top findings include:
- ‘How to resolve conflict with a colleague?’ (50 searches a month)
- ‘How to work with a colleague who undermines you?’ (also 50 searches a month)
- And ‘can I refuse to work with a colleague?’ (30 monthly searches)
Here are the top keywords used in relation to colleagues:
- Like
- Complaint
- Crush
- Fancy
- Complain
- Hate
- Conflict
- Attract
Unsurprisingly, many of these words have a strong interpersonal connotation – whether good or bad!
On the subject of good versus bad, only 59% of Google searches about colleagues are considered positive. This number falls to 45% when it comes to searches about an employee’s ‘work or workplace’.
A reminder to all:
Just as you should be wary of the perils of using Doctor Google for your medical queries, be selective about the workplace advice you find and follow!
ACAS provides a free and confidential phone service for ‘any kind of dispute or query that you have about relationship issues within the workplace.’ You could also seek out the advice of a trusted HR and/or recruitment partner.
Want to work with a team that you feel more suited to? Visit our jobs page for the latest opportunities in the Bath and Wiltshire regions.