Despite Alan Sugar’s recent spat with a former Apprentice winner, in a study carried out by Jurys Inn and CrossCountry trains, Lord Sugar will be pleased to know that he is still the Guv’nor having been voted one of the most rewarding bosses in the UK, coming second to celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver.

Good news too for the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson – he also scored highly, taking joint fourth place with former Dragon’s Den investor Hilary Devey. However, not such good news for Prime Minister David Cameron who didn’t fare as well, being voted one of the least rewarding bosses, along with Nick Clegg who came bottom in the poll taking only one percent of the votes. The study also found the way in which managers reward their teams’ successes, such as a new business win, has changed over the years. Less than 20 percent of bosses will treat their team to a round of drinks at the pub, preferring to bring cakes and treats into the office. It is also interesting to see the changes in our workplace culture, which could be attributed to tighter budgets and the recession, are also being mirrored by employees away from the office.

The study showed that out of the 2,500 office workers polled, only seven percent will head to the pub after work with colleagues for a drink, whilst 43 percent prefer to just head home and put their feet up, cook a meal (24 percent) and then watch TV or a film (29 percent). So it’s no wonder then that people are increasingly looking for ways to reward themselves in these leaner times. Comparison sites, money off vouchers as well as loyalty programmes across the board are now all part of our everyday life. Says Suzanne Cannon, Group Marketing Manager at Jurys Inn: “We have seen a 144 percent rise in the number of guests signing up to our Jurys Rewards loyalty scheme over the last year. It appears that more and more people want to feel that they are being recognised for their efforts and realise they can achieve this themselves by joining up to a rewards scheme.

“Our study showed that less than seven percent of people would reward their hard work by booking themselves a holiday. We feel it is so important to recognise and reward our guests’ loyalty and our Jurys Rewards programme offers a wide range of gifts as well as the ability to redeem points against room nights. “Our guests can redeem points against the things that they find most rewarding, whether it is a weekend city break or treat, the main thing is that they can reward themselves without putting their hand in their pocket and that means a lot in today’s climate.”

Top Ten Most Rewarding Celebrity Bosses

1. Jamie Oliver
2. Lord Alan Sugar
3. Sir Alex Ferguson
4. Boris Johnson
5. Hilary Devey
6. Jose Mourinho
7. Simon Cowell
8. Lord Sebastian Coe
9. Gordon Ramsay
10. David Cameron