Back to work blues: record number of workers seeking help online

Back to work blues are causing people to flock to Adviceguide for help around their job, according to new figures released today by Citizens Advice.

Record numbers of people are seeking help online around employment issues the charity has revealed, with basic rights at work being the most popular topic people are concerned about.

In the past twelve months 16 million people sought help from Adviceguide—equivalent to over a third (37 per cent) of the UK’s online population:

• 16 per cent of all help sought from Adviceguide was from employment-related pages
• 40 per cent more people looked for help around employment related issues in 2013/14 than in 2012/13.
• ‘Basic rights at work’ is the most popular advice page on the site—with over 576,000 people referring to it
• 16 per cent more people looked at ‘Basic rights at work’ on Adviceguide in 2013/14 than in 2012/13.
• 13:42 on a Monday is the precise moment at which more people are looking at the Basic rights at work page than at any other point in the week
• 18:08 on Friday is the quietest moment on the page during the working week (Monday-Friday 8:00-19:00)

The new figures also confirm the existence of the Friday feeling, as visits to the ‘Basic rights at work’ page peak on Monday then steadily decline as the weekend approaches.  During the working week people are most likely to look at the page over the extended lunchtime period, between 11am and 3pm.

Saturday is the quietest day on the page, with traffic building again on Sunday evening as people face the prospect of returning to work the next day. Similarly fewer people access the page over bank holiday weekend, and visits then spike on the following Tuesday.

Chief executive of Citizens Advice Gillian Guy said:

“People really don’t like Mondays, as employment woes are at their worst and job stresses kick in after a few days away from the workplace. Anxieties start building on the eve of returning to work and reach fever pitch by lunchtime on the following day, with more people looking for guidance then than at any other time.

“In the current financial climate workers can be nervous about standing up to their employers if they think they’re being given a raw deal, so it’s vital that they are armed with all the facts and understand what their rights are.

“Modern life is complex, and at some point in their life everyone needs advice. People need to have the right information at their fingertips in order to make the right decisions for them and our Adviceguide does just that, helping people to help themselves.”

Citizens Advice is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and these latest online figures are a far cry from the help it offered in 1939. The charity has calculated that every year the service it delivers to society is worth at least £750 million.  Adviceguide is a free online, self-help service providing detailed and trustworthy information on everything from debt to divorce via tax credits, travel and telephone bills. Last year Adviceguide was worth well over £9 million to society.

One Adviceguide user was having difficulty getting his full terms and conditions of employment from his new boss, and went to the ‘Basic rights at work’ page to find out exactly what details he should expect. Using the help he found he followed up with his employer, who has now provided him with all the details he needs. He said:  “Adviceguide was a really simple and quick way of finding information that I desperately needed. Without being able to refer to it and to Citizens Advice in general, I don’t know how I would have found out that type of information.”

Notes to editors:

1. 1.In 2013/14 Adviceguide had 16 million unique visitors (15,933,179) this equates to 37% of the regular UK internet usage in that time. The regular UK internet users is worked out based on the quarterly average, including an estimate for Q4.
2. This year the Citizens Advice service celebrates its 75th anniversary. We’ve planned a year of activity running from January to December 2014. Contact the press office to find out more.
3. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
4. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
5. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at www.adviceguide.org.uk
6. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
7. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.6 million problems from April 2012 to March 2013. For full 2012/2013 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
8. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 22,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.