More than half of the partners
of people who work more than 48 hours in a typical week admit that it is
damaging their sex life, according to a report released by the CIPD this week.
And not only is bedroom passion suffering
– a third of partners claim long hours have a negative impact on their personal
relationships generally.
Melissa Compton-Edwards, the
report’s author, said, “Although working long hours does not necessarily lead
to marriage breakdown, it can put a strain on relationships with partners,
children and friends.”
The report, Married to the Job?,
also shows that 43 per cent of partners agree that they are fed up with having
to shoulder the domestic burden.
But many partners reluctantly put
up with it in silence. Compton-Edwards said, “Long-suffering spouses and
cohabiting partners try to curb their criticism of the absentee other half.
“The Faustian pact seems to be that
although they would rather their ‘long-hours’ partner worked shorter hours,
this is considered a price worth paying if it guarantees a decent standard of
living.”
Most people who are working long
hours feel that they have struck the wrong work-life balance, with 56 per cent
claiming that they have dedicated too much of their life to work. More than
1,000 people were surveyed.
