Brits are the most critical employees in the world with 70% believing they could do a better job than their boss, a new study from Monster has found.

A damning 41% even go so far as to describe their employer as “totally incompetent”.

The poll of over 9,000 workers in 52 countries found just 18% of British workers believe their boss is “more capable” than they are. And a mere one in 10 say their manager is “brilliant”.

This compares starkly with other countries, particularly in the East. In China, almost a third of workers said their boss was “brilliant” and just 15% questioned their competency.

Monster gives business consultant Matthew Phillips, from Manchester, as a typical example. Phillips said he got so fed up with working for a useless boss he resigned and moved to a new company.

The 32-year-old explained: “I used to wonder what my boss actually did to earn his bigger salary and more stylish car. He seemed to palm off most of his work onto me or my colleagues while he sat around with his feet up, drinking coffee and browsing the internet.

“Whenever he did try to turn his hand to something, he often messed it up and we were left to recover the situation. I could certainly do the job better than he did and I think it would be fair to describe him as incompetent.”

Any similar examples you’d like to share with Recruiter? Form an orderly queue…