A quarter of women have lost friends after being promoted

Have you ever felt that a female co-worker wasn’t really happy for your professional success?

As it happens, you may be right. New research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that a quarter (24.1%) of women have lost friends after being promoted, compared to only 10.3% of men.  

The study, which surveyed 2,000 British professionals, also shows that 54.9% of women feel lonely at work. Yet, men weren’t far behind, with 51.9% of men also claiming to feel lonely in the workplace. What’s more, both men (36.8%) and women (36.1%) felt people’s attitudes towards them changed after securing a promotion, regardless of whether they lost friends or not. 

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, said: 

“Anyone who’s been promoted will know that the dynamic changes as you move up through the ranks. You may even find that the after-work drinks and lunch invitations stop flowing through...While they may want to be happy for you, this can be difficult if they’re feeling like a failure. Be conscientious and allow time for them to adjust.” 

When asked why they felt lonely, both men and women blamed having little in common with their colleagues. However, men appeared to struggle more with finding common ground, with 48.6% putting this as their top reason for loneliness, compared to 39.7% of women.

Biggins continues: “Studies that show that men have less friends than women, which offers an explanation as to why they struggle to find common ground with others in the workplace. It’s certainly interesting that while women are better at establishing friendships in the workplace, men appear more likely to hang on to the friendships that they do make, even after being promoted.” 

Have you felt isolated after a promotion? Let us know..