Time to stress the importance of the work-life balance

Nick Clegg has denied knocking off work early, but could we all do with a break from Britain’s long hours culture? Chris Bond reports.

And if they did ever exist, they certainly don’t any more. These days, working men and women often struggle to find the time to squeeze in a sandwich at lunchtime never mind a two-hour sojourn to their local bistro. It’s little surprise then that many people increasingly feel as they’re on a constant treadmill. But are we actually working longer hours than we used to?

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg yesterday denied accusations of “knocking off” early from work following reports of early deadlines for his ministerial red box. He insisted that he often works into the night, adding that even his staunchest critics couldn’t claim he didn’t work hard enough.

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His remarks were in response to a newspaper report claiming that officials working for him have issued a memo to other Whitehall departments declaring that Mr Clegg’s “red box” – used to hold his paperwork – closes at 3pm Monday to Thursday and 12pm on a Friday. Normally a minister’s box “closes” when he or she leaves the office.

Mr Clegg pointed out that we live in an age of emails and mobile phones which no longer requires us to work in the same place.

It’s fair to say that technological developments mean we can now be contacted pretty much any time and anywhere, distorting our so-called work-life balance. But does that mean we’re working longer and harder, or just differently?

In a report published last month, the independent think-tank Demos called on the Government to encourage more flexible working practices, particularly for parents. But the report’s author Jen Lexmond believes attitudes to how we work are slowly changing.

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“In the UK we are moving away from the idea of more productivity and more growth and looking at what other measurements can be used as a sign of how we are doing as a society,” she says. “If you compare the UK with the US in terms of holidays and sick pay then we do a lot better. In the US people have around 10 days sick pay and they can’t exceed that, which undermines the whole concept.”

According to the latest European Working Conditions Survey, published last year, the average length of the working week in Europe is actually falling – down from 40.5 hours in 1991, to 37.5 hours in 2010. It found that there has been a reduction in the number of working hours in many countries in response to the recession.However, Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health, at Lancaster University, believes this doesn’t reflect the true picture. “We are working longer hours and it’s getting worse. In the public sector we are seeing massive cuts and the private sector is down-sizing to keep costs under control and what you’re left with is fewer people doing more work,” he says.

“The problem with reports like that is they only look at the contracted hours people work, not what they are actually working. I’ve done studies on this and if you ask people how many hours they work compared to what their contract says you find a massive discrepancy – and it’s professional people, not just doctors and nurses, but teachers, social workers and managers who are often working the longest hours.

“In the past, people tended to work long hours to get a promotion whereas now they’re doing it to show commitment because they’re afraid of losing their job. People are coming to work earlier and staying longer. It’s pernicious and what happens is people go to work even when they’re sick.”

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Which is why he’s concerned by the criticism levelled at Nick Clegg. “So what if he leaves early? Are the number of hours worked important, or is it about performance and productivity? Do you want someone who works six hours a day and gets the job done, or someone who works 15 hours and isn’t as productive. At the end of the day the question has to be, does this person deliver?”

Prof Cooper believes the key to getting the best out of people is to encourage more flexible working practices. “It’s important because the evidence shows that you get double the value from your workforce,” he says.

“Twenty years ago we were a nine-to-five society where people had a one hour lunch. But now most people grab 25 minutes and sit at their desk eating while going through their emails. Our working lives have become much more intensive and it’s a real problem.”