Public Servant Lifestyle

Two influential workplace organisations are joining forces to condemn the UK’s long hours culture, and to urge employers to adopt a more positive approach to work/life balance.

The call for action - from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Work Foundation - aims to highlight statistics, which indicate:

- People in the UK are working the longest hours in Europe.

- Four million British employees are still regularly working over 48 hours a week - despite the 1999 introduction of the European Working Time Directive, which forbids this.

- Almost half of the country’s employees have no flexible working arrangements in place.

- New TUC guidance on flexible working is incorporated into a work-life balance video training pack, jointly produced by the TUC and the Work Foundation.

Process of Change

TUC General Secretary, John Monks said: "Although we live in an age when high quality goods and services are demanded outside of what we once considered to be normal working hours, employers won’t be able to deliver successfully on these, unless they involve their staff in the process of change.

"Too many workers in the UK are expected to work long hours and inflexibly for no return. That’s why promoting a positive approach to balancing work and other life is so important."

"Balancing work and life is crucial to better workplace performance and productivity," says Will Hutton, chief executive of the Work Foundation.

"Traditionally UK employers have found it difficult to reconcile flexible working with the embedded culture of presenteeism. The irony is that this inflexible approach to work-life balance decreases employee motivation and results.

"The good news is that research suggests that managers are beginning to judge workers by what they achieve and not just by their presence, " says Mr Hutton, a former editor-in-chief of the Observer newspaper. "

The Work Foundation is a wholly independent, not-for profit body that campaigns for an improvement in working life standards. Its 10,000-plus member organisations are drawn from from the public, voluntary, trade union, and private sectors.

Working Hours In Europe – Average Usual Weekly Hours For Full-Time Employees

Country - United Kingdom
Hours worked - 43.6

Country - Greece
Hours worked - 40.8

Country - Spain
Hours worked - 40.6

Country - Portugal
Hours worked - 40.6

Country - Austria
Hours worked 40.2

Country - Sweden
Hours worked - 40.1

Country - Germany
Hours worked - 40.1

Country - Luxembourg
Hours worked - 39.7

Country - Netherlands
Hours worked - 39

Country - France
Hours worked - 39.6

Country - Finland
Hours worked - 39.3

Country - Denmark
Hours worked - 38.9

Country - Italy
Hours worked - 38.5

Country - Belgium
Hours worked - 38.4

Source: Workplace Employee Relations Survey 1998

Work-Life Balance

Employment relations minister Alan Johnson added his support to the TUC/Industrial Society initiative. He said: "Offering employees a better work-life balance is crucial in the quest for better performance and higher productivity. It is also essential for fulfilled, as well as full, employment.

"Employees are able to balance the demands of work with family commitments or other pursuits, while in turn employers gain from reduced absenteeism, less staff turnover and a more productive, highly committed workforce - all of which make an impact upon the bottom line."

More information available in Work Life Balance