UK workers putting in longer and longer hours

According to a survey carried out by the Chartered Management Institute, managers in UK organisations work an extra 40 days every year, while 9 out of 10 reported putting in at least an extra hour every day. Workload, deadlines and the expectations of bosses all contribute to the long working hours culture, meaning more and more of us are in the office long past the time when we would hope to be putting the kids to bed or having a civilised dinner with our partner.

Another survey carried out by the TUC found that nearly five million workers at every level in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers an average £4,955 of free work a year. That means the average person who does unpaid overtime works between 1st January and 22nd February for free, before they start earning for themselves.

But it isn’t just your finances and and personal life that suffers if you’re spending an extra day a week in the office. Of the 1,511 senior staff who were questioned by the CMI for their survey:

• 45% said that working long hours affects their productivity
• 40% feel that working long hours lower their morale
• 48% feel that working long hours prevents them from developing new skills

Moreover, for women with children, the UK’s long hours culture is forcing them to make what the Fawcett Society, campaigning for equal pay and conditions, describes as “impossible choices”.

“They are forced to choose between caring for a family at home or maximising their career opportunities in a workplace that measures performance by the number of hours put in,” the society’s Kat Banyard says.

The TUC’s general secretary, Brendan Barber, said this was preventing women getting the top jobs in their profession.

“It is hardly surprising that the senior levels of most organisations are male and that the gender pay gap stubbornly persists,” he said.

With UK business facing a potentially tough year in 2008, staff layoffs, recruitment freezes and higher productivity targets could all increase pressure on workers, further impacting on work-life balance. 

“The perpetual cycle of taking out costs in recent years has meant that most organiations are driven to use their assets – particularly their people – more intensively,” comments Jo Causon, Director of Marketing and Corporate affairs at the CMI.

To find out how becoming an Auditel franchisee can help you escape the long hours working culture, earn what you’re really worth and regain balance in your life, visit our website at www.auditelfranchise.co.uk or call us on 01962 863915.