UK managers work too many hours for too few returns

Based on the views of 1,511 managers, the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Quality of Working Life report shows that 89 per cent of managers regularly work more than their contracted hours – a figure that has barely fallen since the year 2000 (91 per cent). The survey found that the average manager works 78 minutes longer than his contract each day – equivalent to roughly 40 days per year.

On a personal level, two-thirds of respondents also said that working longer than contracted hours limited exercise time and nearly half (48 per cent) claimed extra hours prevented them from developing skills.

The average manager only takes 3.5 days absence each year, according to the survey. It means that for every day lost to illness, the average manager provides almost 11.5 days ‘free of charge’ to their employer.

Jo Causon, director, marketing and corporate affairs at the CMI, said: “In today’s results-driven environment, output is more important than input, so two questions need to be answered: why are employers ignoring the impact of long hours on the health and performance of their employees; and what responsibility are employees taking for how they manage themselves?”