Hard work pays

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

A MAJORITY of UK entrepreneurs are working more than 60 hours a week as the pressure of building a business takes its toll, new research shows today.

A poll by chartered accountants MacIntyre Hudson found that 59% of owner managers consistently worked outside normal office hours.

European guidelines of a 48-hour working week were ignored by 72% of bosses who admitted spending more than 50 hours on developing their business.

The survey revealed that 56% worked more than 60 hours a week, while 32% regularly worked more than 70 hours.

Holidays were also being passed up with 14% of owner-managers saying they expected to spend every working day at the office over the next year.

A total of 53% said they would take only a fortnight - well below the statutory minimum of four weeks under the Working Time Regulations.

Chris Sutton, a partner at MacIntyre Hudson, said: '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 showed that 66% of bosses wanted to cut their working hours but 78% believed that it was impossible to do so.

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