Increasing numbers of HR professionals are working more than 40-hours a week, research has revealed.
A survey of more than 6,000 people working in HR by consultancy Croner Reward and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 56% are working 40-45 hours. This is up from 35% in 2005.
Eight in 10 HR professionals have contracted hours of between 35-37 hours, but only three in 10 actually work those hours, according to the survey.
CIPD adviser Charles Cotton said: “The long-hours culture could reflect the fact that HR departments are under increasing pressure to demonstrate how they add value to the business.
“Recent CIPD research shows that 80% of organisations have restructured their HR function in the past five years in a quest to become more strategic.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those in the private sector are working longer hours than those in the public sector. More than 60% of HR professionals in private firms are working between 40 and 50 hours per week, compared with 46% of those in the public sector.
