UK workers struggling to ‘switch off’

A third (33%) of workers in the UK feel their workload has increased and they work longer hours than five years ago thanks to mobile phones and remote email access, according to a new survey from public sector membership body CSMA Club.

The survey found that private sector workers said that technology meant they continuously remained in ?work mode? when they?d finished for the day, while public sector employees reported a worse work-life balance overall. Nearly a third of public sector workers said they couldn?t forget about work and relax, compared with one in five private sector workers.

More than a quarter of public sector workers said their workload meant they were unable to spend ?quality time? with family and nearly half said they never socialise with friends on a midweek night due to longer hours. In comparison, the statistics for the private sector were 20% and 37% respectively.

Carl Fillery, chief executive of CSMA Club, said: “Financial strain and budget capping within the public sector have led to increasing amounts of pressure on employees to deliver more for less. [Only a few weeks ago] George Osborne announced the 2015 spending review, which plans to cut public sector spending by ?20 billion.”

The survey also found that the government?s 2014 legislation giving every employee the right to request flexible working hours has seen the private sector to catch up with the public sector in granting such requests. The ratio of positive responses from  both public and private sector staff was almost exactly the same when asked if they felt their employer was supportive of the need for flexible working.

For private sector workers, technology intruding into private lives was more of an issue. A third (32%) of private sector employees said that technology meant they remained in ?work mode? in leisure time, compared with 27% of public sector staff.

Read the full article from HR Magazine at bit.ly/1VMLQiA