Survey highlights work/life imbalance

New research has revealed that excessive working hours are putting individuals' work/life balance in jeopardy, adversely affecting family life and ultimately impacting on the bottom line.

The study, commissioned by the Department for Education and Employment, found that one in nine full-time employees worked more than 60 hours each week. One in eight reported working all weekend, and one in five worked for companies that open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"There's widespread agreement from businesses and employees that work/life balance practices leads to a healthier, happier workforce and bottom line benefit," said Margaret Hodge, Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities.

"Yet there are big differences on the ground. Employers are willing to deal with the consequences but not the causes of a poor work/life balance," she added.

The survey, the government's first and largest piece of research ever to assess the state of the nation's work/life balance, involved interviews with 7500 employees and 2500 employers.

Two thirds of male respondents felt that working part time would adversely affect their career progression, even though men - and particularly fathers - wanted more flexibility in their working lives. Interestingly, men were also keener than women to work from home, as new technology makes telecommuting easier.

More than half of the women interviewed said they would rather work more flexibly after pregnancy, for example working part time or from home, than have a longer maternity leave period.

"For decades women have been calling for a better work/life balance," said Hodge. "Now fathers are calling for a fairer deal. With 14 per cent of fathers working more than 60 hours every week, it means that men are less able to spend the time with the family that they want."

But only 20 per cent of employers are fully aware of the increased maternity leave rights, and only 24 per cent are fully aware of the new paternal leave rights. Only a quarter of women surveyed would take less than 18 weeks maternity leave.

The research also found that while almost half of employers offer stress counselling to help employees with the effects of working long hours, only nine per cent would offer help with basic childcare needs.