Senior and middle managers were most likely to regret not prioritising their work-life balance.
The research showed 20% of managers regretted working too many hours, compared to 12% of non-managers.
Other notable regrets included playing it safe in their career (15%) and not saving enough into their pension or starting to save sooner (14%).
One in five women aged 45-54 said they regretted their pension savings, almost double the rate for men in that age group.
15% of women said they regretted putting up with a bad manager for too long, compared to 9% of men.
Other regrets were not working in a higher-paying industry (12%), not pursuing their preferred career (11%), not leaving a job they disliked (11%) and not changing career sooner (10%).
The top 20 career regrets also included not speaking up at work, not staying in touch with colleagues, not asking for a pay rise or promotion, not spending more time on professional development, and oversharing at work.
Claire Hawes, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said: “As these findings show the outcomes most people look back on with regret are the things they didn’t do – the career path not taken, the job opportunities missed, or the work problem not dealt with sooner.
“Very few people don’t have something in their past they’d do differently, perhaps, given the chance.
“The important thing is that we take time to reflect and learn from our work experiences.”
Hawes added: “The good and the bad. Regret might not always seem particularly helpful or productive at times, but it can be a big motivator to help us avoid repeating certain situations, to build self-awareness, and make better decisions that work for us going forward.”
Hawes said one of the main advantages of having regular meetings with your manager is that it makes it normal to reflect on your work and talk openly about performance.
She added that it is important to use these sessions to look at your successes, challenges, and situations you could have handled differently, as well as anything that is concerning you.
Additionally, Hawes noted that when done properly, one-to-one meetings help build trust, align priorities, improve job engagement and give a sense of direction, supporting people in taking charge of their own career development.
Hawes said: “Overthinking at work can lead to a vicious circle of negativity and self-doubt, where negative thoughts can impact your mood and behaviours, increase your stress levels, and have you second-guessing decisions.
“Learning how to shift your focus and interrupt these loops, in a way that works for you, can have a huge positive impact on your mental wellbeing and job satisfaction.
“When you do catch yourself overthinking, trust your instincts and don’t pretend it’s not happening.”
Hawes added: “Be curious, and think about why it’s really bothering you – and, importantly, if what you’re thinking is really true.
“It usually helps to put your thoughts or worries into words – and stick to the facts as much as possible.
“Writing them down – or voicing them to a friend, trusted work colleague or your manager – can give you a different, broader perspective.”
She said: “It can help you get to the root cause of the discomfort and help you decide whether there’s an issue that should be addressed, or if it’s something that you can try and let go of.
“One of the biggest benefits of having regular check-ins (scheduled or ad-hoc) with your manager is that it helps to normalise constructive self-reflection and performance conversations.
“It’s important to use this time to reflect objectively and get feedback: on your successes, your challenges, on the situations you think you could have handled differently or better, or the things that may be bothering you.”
She added: “Done well, 1:1s help build trust, align priorities, boost job engagement and reinforce a sense of purpose and focus.
“Helping you to take more control of your career growth and development.”
