Irish workers ‘are afraid of being exposed as imposters’

ALMOST four in ten workers are fearful of being exposed as a fraud.

A survey carried out by tax refund specialists has found that the condition known as ‘imposter syndrome’ is rife in Irish workplaces, with women more likely to experience it than men.

First identified in the 1970s, the syndrome is defined as ‘frequent anxieties and doubt about one’s accomplishments, which are often accompanied by a fear of being exposed as a fraud or a fake’.

The results of the study undertaken by Taxback.com on more than 2,500 of their customers found that 42% of women have suffered the syndrome compared to 35% of men.

‘International research suggests that as much as 70% of people will experience imposter syndrome at one point in their lives,’ said Taxback.com chief executive Joanna Murphy.

The survey also revealed that experience carries more clout in the workplace than any third-level qualification. ‘Although people work for years to get the qualifications they want or need, it appears that the real learning is in the doing,’ observed Murphy.

Ireland has one of the most educated work forces in the world, with 56% of 30-34-yearolds having a third-level qualification, far above the EU average of 40%. ‘Regardless of how our career develops throughout our lives and what we come to value over the longer term, the importance of that initial qualification or piece of paper to open the door and get the start you need can’t be understated,’ said Murphy.

The survey ‘gave us a deeper insight into the psyche of the Irish workforce’, she observed.