Workers share their biggest career regrets

New research by HR, benefits and payroll software provider Ciphr has revealed the most common career regrets that people experience.

Of the 2,000 employees polled by Ciphr, most (79%) said they had at least one thing they would do differently career-wise. Some of the biggest regrets reported by respondents include worrying about things that they may have said or done (or not said or done) at work, staying in a job for too long, and working too many hours.

The full results are below, or follow these quick links to find out what managers regret most about their careers and the top 10 regrets of non-managers.

Most (79%) people have regrets about a career choice or a decision they’ve made at work

What are people's biggest career regrets?

One in six (17%) employees say they regret overthinking or worrying about work situations and conversations they can’t change
One in six (16%) employees say they regret staying in a job for too long
One in six (16%) employees – approximately 5.5 million people* – say they regret working too many hours or not prioritising their work-life balance
One in seven (15%) employees say they regret playing it safe and not taking opportunities to advance their career
One in seven (14%) employees – approximately 4.7 million people – say they regret not saving enough money into their pension or not starting to save into their pension sooner

One in eight (13%) employees say they regret putting up with a bad manager for too long
One in eight (12%) employees say they regret not working in a higher-paying field / industry
One in nine (11%) employees – approximately 3.7 million people – say they regret not pursuing their ‘dream’ job or the career that they wanted to
One in nine (11%) employees say they regret not leaving a job that they didn’t like
One in 10 employees say they regret not changing their career sooner
One in 10 employees say they regret not speaking their mind enough

One in 11 (9%) employees say they regret not staying in touch with former work colleagues
One in 13 (8%) employees say they regret not asking for a pay rise
One in 13 (8%) employees say they regret not negotiating for a higher starting salary
One in 13 (8%) employees say they regret not spending more time on their professional development
One in 13 (8%) employees – approximately 2.7 million people – say they regret not learning a trade

One in 13 (8%) employees say they regret not speaking up about a problem at work or not asking for support sooner
One in 13 (8%) employees say they regret oversharing at work
One in 14 (7%) employees say they regret not doing something they consider ‘meaningful’
One in 20 (5%) employees say they regret not asking for a promotion
One in 20 (5%) employees – approximately 1.7 million people – say they regret not being their own boss or starting their own business

*Calculations by Ciphr based on figures from the ONS' latest Labour Force Survey. In January to March 2026, there were over 34.39 million people aged 16+ in employment.

People aged 35-44 are more likely than their younger or older work colleagues to have career regrets

People in management roles are the most likely to say they have career regrets

But business leaders (CEOs, MDs and owners) are less likely to have regrets about their career than their staff.

Senior and middle managers are the most likely to say they regret not prioritising their work-life balance more

More managers than non-managers have regrets about not pushing for a higher starting salary or asking for a pay rise
People in non-management positions are more likely to have regrets over not pursuing a different career or saving more into their pension.

What employees* regret most about their careers (to date)

Notes

Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct a survey of 2,000 UK-based employees. The survey ran between 4-8 February 2026.

Over half (59%) of respondents are female, two-fifths (41%) are male, and 0.3% are non-binary. 2% of respondents are aged 18-24 years, 17% are 25-34-years, 28% are 35-44 years, 26% are 45-54 years, 21% are 55-64 years and 6% are 65 years old or older.

17% of survey respondents work in leadership or senior management roles at their organisations, 22% work in middle management positions, 13% in junior management, 16% are supervisors, and a third (32%) work in non-managerial or junior roles.

Fair use statement: If you are interested in sharing these statistics, or quoting this study in an article, please include a link to this infographic page and credit Ciphr. Thanks.

Author: Emma-Louise Jones