Almost half of UK managers work an extra day a week in unpaid overtime the BBC reports today that – in addition to staying late at the office and taking the laptop home, managers use smart phone technology to access work email even at weekends and take late evening & early morning calls.
People report feeling compelled to respond to out of hours communication with their employers. The very technology that we’re often sold on the basis that it will give us flexibility is contributing towards creating a culture of 24/7 availability and increased work pressures.Apparently, according to this report, UK businesses are addressing the issue and looking at ways to manage workloads. We’re not convinced by this statement as (admittedly anecdotally) it appears to us that more and more people feel they need to be “putting in the hours” to keep their jobs, especially in the bigger corporates.We’re pleased that so many of our clients understand the value of work life balance and proactively promote this in their workforces. We’re just been working with one client on helping their staff set objectives for the year and it was great to see health and well being feature in those goals.