– Workers say “sorry” 9 times per day, 266,085 times over the average lifetime
– Employees apologise for being late, more than anything else
– Flowers voted the UK’s number one apology gift
BRITS ARE renowned for their overuse of apologies, with the word “sorry” firmly established as a staple of English phraseology, according to new research.
A survey of 1,004 British workers carried out by SerenataFlowers.com, the UK’s leading online florist, has revealed that the average worker now says “sorry” as many as 9 times per day, and the most apologetic 10% of Brits claim to apologise more than 22 times a day.
When quizzed on the things workers say “sorry” for most, 60% said they apologise for being late, 54% said sorry for missing a call, and 52% said they apologise after accidentally bumping into someone.
The habit of apologising is so ingrained into British culture that almost 1 in 3 people (30%) claim to have previously apologised to an inanimate object, after mistakenly bumping into it.
Due to the overuse of everyday apologies in the UK workplace, a huge 87% of workers feel the word “sorry” carries little value, and as such we need to work harder to communicate a sincere apology when it’s due.
71% of those surveyed said receiving a bouquet of flowers with an apology would help it feel more genuine.
65% said a hand-written card would add more weight to the apology and a further 1 in 2 (51%) said that gifting chocolates was a great way of conveying sincerity.
Lucia Polla, Marketing Manager at SerenataFlowers.com, comments: “Considering how often British workers use the word “sorry”, it’s amazing how many people struggle to communicate a genuine apology where it counts.
“Putting your hands up and admitting fault is one of the hardest things anyone has to do because from a young age we’re conditioned to want to get things right. But everyone makes mistakes from time to time and owning up and expressing a heartfelt apology can not only put the mind at rest, it can actually strengthen relationships in the workplace too.
“Gifting flowers is a great way of going the extra mile to show someone you care and want to right a wrong. Apology flowers are so popular that we actually have a section of the website dedicated to them, and it’s no surprise that a dozen red roses are the bestseller.”
Top 5 gifts to say sorry:
- Flowers – 71%
- A handwritten card – 65%
- Chocolates – 51%
- Jewellery – 48%
- Wine – 34%
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