Imposter Syndrome: Do You Feel Like A Faker At Work? 42% of Irish Workforce Do Too

4 in 10 workers in Ireland say they suffer from Imposter Syndrome, with 45% of women feeling this way at some point in their career, and 37% of men. Taxback.com’s All-Ireland Employee Survey surveyed the attitudes of 1,200 employees in SMEs throughout the country and found that the number of workers experiencing this in the workplace has grown from 38% pre-pandemic to 42% post-pandemic.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

You yourself may have already felt it. Imposter syndrome is characterised by frequent anxieties and doubt about one’s accomplishments and is often accompanied by a fear of being exposed as a fraud or a ‘fake’.

Imposter syndrome was first identified in the 1970s by psychologists Dr Suzanne Imes and Dr Pauline Clance is characterised by frequent anxieties and doubt about one’s accomplishments and is often accompanied by a fear of being exposed as a fraud or a ‘fake’.

Women are affected more than men

Speaking of the findings, Joanna Murphy, CEO of Taxback.com commented: “Interestingly, the survey reveals a higher occurrence of imposter syndrome among women than men, with 17% of women experiencing this phenomenon ‘all the time’ as opposed to 11% of men”.

“The greater propensity amongst women to experiencing Imposter Syndrome could well be reflective of a broader societal issue, whereby men are often encouraged to have a go and take chance, whereas women are often more likely to stay within certain parameters. The industry a person works in could also attribute to this, with many being traditionally very male-dominated”, Ms Murphy continued.

What to do about imposter syndrome?

Recent international research suggests that as much as 70% of people will experience imposter syndrome at one point in their lives and that it impacts both men and women across all sectors and levels of employment.

Ms Murphy commented: “As employers, we should be asking ourselves why any of our people might feel like this and what the organisation might to do allay their anxieties and to give people the confidence and belief in themselves they need and deserve”.

The Taxback.com All-Ireland Employee Survey Found

—  Overall 42% of people either currently, or have in the past, suffered with this misperception towards their abilities

—  The number of people experiencing Imposter Syndrome has increased from 38% in 2020 to 42% in 2022

—  The number of women experiencing this has grown more than the number of men – from 42% in 2020 to 45% in 2022

Ms Murphy concluded: “While it’s great to see that many workers say they do not or have not experienced this, we must not overlook the fact remains that 45% of women and 37%% of men have felt or feel that they are not good enough at their job. This lack of self-belief, the reason for which is, in the vast majority of cases, unfounded, can have a major impact on productivity and the individual’s potential to succeed within their job and their career as a whole”.