Do we work to hard in the UK?

Question

We work the longest hours in Europe and have the least holidays.

Do we work too hard? If you think we do - why? Should we take it more easy?

Thanks.

Answer 1

I left the UK 17 years ago for that reason, it´s all work and no play. You live to work, not work to live in England. Only the very few can afford to live comfortably.

Here in Spain, yes it is a case of manaña and things are slower, but the Spanish way is to enjoy your family first and work is a second!

It´s infuriating when you want something done, but I´ve got used to it. I am much more relaxed about things now, so it must be better for my health.

You don´t get the best out of people when you flog them to death, tax them to the hilt and give them less holidays than the rest of Europe.

Answer 2

We don't work hard or long enough.  We should work 25 out of the 24 hours, and NEVER take holidays.

Answer 3

Hardly not hard!   Work in an office with a lot of women and see how many visits to the ladies room there are for the repair of make up  lol.

Answer 4

We have enough holidays as it is!!!

Answer 5

We definitely work hours that are too long.  Everyone in my office works 8:30am to at least 6:00-6:30pm, with no lunch break, and on top of this has a commute of at least an hour each way.  It is ridiculous and the worst part is, there's not really any good reason for it ... it's just kind of this culture of being afraid to leave the office before your boss does.  I'm well aware that there are many industries such as banking where people put in far more hours than what I do.

One reason that we need more free time is that many parents don't see their kids enough, and the kids are being brought up solely by daycare workers/nannies/au pairs/etc.  Well, many people would probably say that "the youth of today" are disrespectful, have no morals, etc and would blame the parents.  The reality is that actually, parents have far less influence over children's mindsets than carers, the other kids at their daycare, etc ... BUT, it is the parents' fault, then, for leaving them in daycare for such long hours.

Another thing is that so many people have health issues like obesity, high blood pressure, etc.  These things are exacerbated by sitting at a desk for ten hours per day.  An employee who finishes work at around 5:00pm might be happy to hit the gym or go for a run after work, thus reducing their risk of such health problems.  An employee that finishes work at 7:00pm doesn't want to do anything except have dinner and crawl into bed.  Yet such health issues are not just unpleasant for the sufferer, but are costing the whole of society to treat them.

But I don't think our holidays are that bad.  Yes, we do have the least holidays in Europe.  But we have significantly more holidays than in countries like the US, Australia and New Zealand.