More than one third of
employees are self-confessed workaholics and one-fifth of them do not take any
of their holiday entitlement, according to a CIPD report.
Married to the job? also
finds that 10 per cent of workers who work more than 48 hours a week do not
take a single paid day’s holiday. One in five of these "long-hour
employees" takes fewer than 10 days holiday a year.
According to the report, 56 per cent of staff
polled feel that they have struck the wrong work-life balance.
"Excessive hours can have
a negative effect on job performance and cause costly or reputation-damaging
mistakes," said Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the CIPD.
"Employers need to ensure
that they do everything in their power to improve productivity through
efficiency improvements rather than by overloading their staff."
Two-fifths of those working
more than 48 hours a week report that working long hours has resulted in
arguments with their spouse or partner in the past year, and the same proportion feel guilty
that they are not pulling their weight at home.
"Employees should take
holiday and avoid working excessively long hours both from a personal and
career perspective as this can put a strain on relationships with partners,
children and friends. Long-suffering
spouses and co-habiting partners tend to consider it a price worth paying if it
guarantees a decent standard of living," said Emmott.
Eight out of 10 employees who work long hours are male,
married (or living with a partner) and
have children, according to the report which was based on responses from nearly
300 employees.
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