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Only one in 10 managers in the social care sector says they can relax outside the office because of the pressures of work, according to new research.

A survey of 1,175 executives and senior managers working for organisations in the social care sector paints a picture of the industry’s leaders as being stressed out, with more than half saying they find it difficult to leave the office on time.

As a group they appear poor at managing their own time, with many struggling to juggle day-to-day priorities with the future needs of the business.

However, despite these problems, the vast majority of those surveyed still had a positive outlook to their work and the sector in general: 83% look forward to getting up in the morning, 75% find it easy to keep positive, and 76% have great camaraderie with their colleagues.

The Chartered Management Institute survey found 72% of respondents admitted struggling to finish tasks, with around half blaming this largely on having too many meetings to attend and spending too much time preparing for them.

An overwhelming majority (84%) said they struggled with prioritising work while more than half found it difficult to find time for strategic planning and administration. Three-quarters say meeting the businesses’ current needs dominate at the expense of developing new products and initiatives.

Only one in four said talent management was important to their employer and just a third felt they had a clear vision of their career progression.