British people will work for average of 3,507 days over a lifetime, survey says

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The average Briton will spend 3,507 days at work including 204 days of overtime in their lifetime, a new survey claims.

The poll also found that British people think about quitting their job 16 times a year.

It also found that the average British worker will put in 34 hours and 26 minutes of work a week, totalling 1,791 hours a year, and 84,171 hours in the course of their career.

They will also work for an additional nine hours of overtime a month, totalling 4,890 hours over the course of the average career.

The survey also found the average British worker travels 94,192 miles to and from their workplace, spending 14,053 hours commuting. They will also claim £134,248.92 in company expenses.

The typical employee will also experience six office romances and 812 workplace arguments, as well as brewing 7,967 rounds of tea or coffee for their colleagues.

“The impact our jobs have on our lives spreads far beyond the workplace," said Rachel Kellett of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), which commissioned the study. ''It takes in days of commuting and thousands of pounds of expense claims, not to mention the impressive number of tea rounds and cheeky office liaisons we might become entangled in.

“With careers having such a big impact on our lives, it’s important to make sure that we are in the right one.”

The poll also found the average worker has not changed jobs in the last six years, a figure which falls to four and a half years in the South West of England and rises to seven years in London.

However, thoughts of starting again in a completely new career crosses the mind of British people 10 times a year. A third of the survey’s respondents said they had retrained to follow a new career in the past.

And one in five are currently thinking about retraining, even though most believe it is officially too late to change your career path past the age of 47.

Ms Kellett said: “It’s easy to look at these figures and get the impression that working life can become something of a grind, resulting in a carousel of commuting, overtime and cups of tea. It’s important to make sure you are happy with your career. If you’re not, considering retraining for could help make you more content.

“Despite what some people might think, you can make a change at any point in your life – we have people studying finance qualifications while in their 70s. At AAT we see people of all ages and backgrounds come to retrain in order to start a new career in finance, and this can have a hugely positive effect on their lives.”

SWNS