Workers often place a great deal of importance on professional development, hoping for opportunities to broaden their skills and experience, and maybe take on some new responsibilities.

So when this doesn't seem to be happening, it can be easy to get a bit annoyed and perhaps resentful. But in truth, who is there for an employee to blame? Is their career management really the responsibility of their direct manager, or should they take responsibility for their own lives?

Beverley Stone, a chartered business psychologist, believes the onus should be on the worker themselves to voice their willingness to do more so they can move up the professional ladder.

"You can't blame everyone else for the fact that you aren't prepared to stick your head above the parapet and ask for a promotion or be seen or give the right image," she commented.

Indeed, Ms Stone stressed that people are free to seek promotion opportunities every working day, or perhaps ask if opportunities in different departments may be available.

While she acknowledged that some workers feel they have "no choice in life but to keep their head down and be a good boy", she said these people often end up feeling trapped and start complaining about their lot in life.

This, she said, means that if a person is doing a good job and working hard but not being noticed, it is purely down to them.

"You are choosing every day to do the same thing, but you are free to choose not to," Ms Stone remarked.

Workers were advised that although they are responsible for all their actions in life, they are equally responsible for their inactions, so they cannot defer the blame for being overlooked to another person if they have not been proactive enough.

Ms Stone said that if people want to progress in their jobs, they need to have a positive can-do attitude alongside a strong work ethic.

She added that having a strong image and being seen by the right people and in the right places can also be a big factor that decides who gets promoted in a company.