Managers in the district are suffering low morale and job insecurity, according to a major new survey.

The Institute of Management's (IM) fourth Quality of Working Life report also reveals firm loyalty has dropped among managers.

Around 5,000 senior businessmen were quizzed by the group from 1997 to 2000 to produce the most comprehensive study into managers' working lives ever carried out in Britain.

Of those asked, 39 per cent reported low morale in the workplace and 42 per cent said their organisations had not improved during the last 12 months.

Camaraderie, however, remained high - with eight out of ten managers saying they got on well with colleagues.

West Yorkshire Police Chief Superintendent Stuart Hyde, who represents 1,000 local businesses as chairman of the IM's regional branch, said: "The survey demonstrates the time and commitment required to be a successful manager in the UK today.

"Balancing home and work life is a constant struggle for managers as the pressures to meet decreasing time-scales and increasing performance take effect. It further shows the need for managers to plan their careers and keep abreast of new developments that can make schedules less imposing."