Misery for UK's business owners

MacIntyre Hudson commissioned some research into the working habits of owner managers and found some interesting results:

• Majority of owner managers work more than 60 hours a week
• Most work at weekends, in the evening and on public holidays as a matter of course
• 66 per cent would like to decrease their working hours, but only 19 per cent think this is a realistic prospect

As most office workers treat themselves to an extended weekend with family or friends, spare a thought for the UK’s entrepreneurs and owner managers who are likely to be munching their Easter eggs whilst catching up on emails and other business matters. According to research from chartered accountants MacIntyre Hudson, 59 per cent per cent of owner managers work outside of normal office hours – for instance during public holidays, weekends and in the evenings – all the time, with 84 per cent doing so on a frequent basis. As they work through the break, many owner managers won’t even have a holiday to look forward to later on in the year. The research found that 14 per cent do not expect to take any holiday over the next year. A majority - 53 per cent – will take no more than two weeks, well below the statutory minimum of four weeks under the Working Time Regulations. The age of remote and wireless internet access means that some owner managers never manage to completely switch off even while on holiday. 28 per cent of business owners say that they check their work emails at least once during the course of any holiday. The statistics also point to the high level of commitment vital to a business. Almost a third – 32 per cent – work more than 70 hours a week, with 56 per cent working over 60 hours and 72 per cent over 50 hours, in excess of the maximum 48-hour week under the European Working Time Directive. Unsurprisingly, this regime leaves little time for voluntary work, with only 17 per cent involved in any voluntary commitments such as charity work, school governorships or counselling. Chris Sutton, principal at MacIntyre Hudson commented on the findings: “No one goes into business without accepting that it is going to be a hard graft, particularly in the early years. But the extent of the sacrifice that owner managers make, working on average about 60 hours a week and taking only 10 days holiday a year, is a major concern.” The research also reveals that the majority of owner managers would like to break free from this long hours culture. 66 per cent would like to decrease their working hours, but crucially 78 per cent believe that they will not be able to achieve this in the next year. Only amongst the younger entrepreneurs is the long hours culture happily accepted, with 57 per cent of those under 30 and exactly half of those in their 30s having no desire to reduce their workload. Chris Sutton continued: “Whilst it is easy to conclude that greater work life balance is more of a dream than reality for owner managers, it is much harder to point to a solution. It seems that owner managers are falling foul of the Government’s guidelines – they are working long hours and not taking holidays which is more often than not likely to promote a long hours culture within their organisation. Moreover, despite possessing some very marketable skills, they do not have time to take part in voluntary or community work – an area that the Government is very keen to encourage. Yet, it is ironic that increasing regulation and red tape coming from the EU and the UK can only diminish the precious little leisure time that exists. MacIntyre Hudson regularly helps owner mangers to spend more time working on their business than in it. We can help you adjust your work life balance – find the time to contact your local office today!