New TUC analysis published this week reveals that long hours working is on the increase in the UK, reversing the slow but steady ten-year decline in people working more than 48 hours a week.  The findings are supported by Legal & General’s Health Uncovered research which shows:

• Over one in five, 23%, full time employees are not happy with their work-life balance.  20% say this is down to working too many extra hours.
• Almost one in four, 23%, full time British workers never take a break during work and 7% do not even take a holiday.
• Of those people who do not take breaks at work, more than one in five, 22% said that they feel stressed by their daily routines, 23% also worry that they do not get enough fresh air and 17% are concerned that they are not doing enough exercise.
• Almost double the people working non-stop through the day, 29%, said that they are concerned for their health because they do not have  enough time to follow a healthy diet, compared with only 17% of all Brits being concerned about a healthy diet.        

The Legal & General Health Uncovered research provides an overview of British workers health concerns. The research is part of an ongoing study of Britons’ health worries and perceptions, which questioned over 2,000 people, including 942 full time workers, about health anxieties they had during the last three months. The results reveal that the long working hours are having an impact on British workers health.                                                      

Commenting on the research, Dr John Delfosse, Company Medical Officer for Legal & General’s Group Protection business said: “Work is very important to many people providing purpose, self-worth and fulfilment, but for some, particularly those with heavy work responsibilities, they may become absorbed in their daily routine and so do not take timeout for themselves during the day.  This can lead to increased pressure and stress, which if prolonged may take its toll on a workers physical and mental wellbeing. This in turn may result in a range of health problems such as heart disease, back pain and gastrointestinal problems. Reducing stress can help people to improve their work/life balance.”      

The TUC findings show that with more than one in eight people now working more than 48 hours a week, rising to one in six in London, a 10-year trend of a cut in the working week has been reversed. The long term trend for the numbers of people working long hours have been going downwards, with a fall of 20% in the number of people working more than 48 hours since 1997. But the TUC figures revealed that 3.2 million people were now working more than 48 hours a week - more than 13% of the workforce. The biggest rise being in the south-east of England and London, with 16% of staff in the capital now working long hours.

Under Europe's working time regulations workers are protected from working more than an average 48-hour week. But in the UK, unlike other EU countries, all workers can opt out of this protection.

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