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I have recently started a new job as an insurance broker. There is a lot of pressure to work long hours, and some people stay late when they don't have work to do just because they don't want to be seen to be slacking. If I want to progress in the company is it a prerequisite that I do overtime?

It's difficult to answer this from outside an organisation but if you've just joined then the question you need to ask is whether it's the organisation you thought you were joining. When interviewing for a job it's as important to find out about the culture of the workplace as the role itself. It sounds to me as if this is the sort of place where people do a lot of overtime. Although you shouldn't feel pressured to do overtime, the honest truth is that if it is the culture of the business, you might end up feeling at a disadvantage to your colleagues and sticking out like a sore thumb.

Personally I believe that organisations should focus on your achievements rather than hours, and if you are achieving as much as everyone else in six hours and they are taking ten, then don't feel guilty. Staying late for the sake of appearances is silly, it's a waste of everybody's time and can actually be very demotivating.

Deborah Meaden is author of Common Sense Rules (Random House, £7.99). Read more advice from Deborah Meaden.

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