Nearly one in four never break from work

Almost one in four, 23%, full time British workers never take a break from work and 7% do not even take a holiday, according to new research from Legal & General.

At a time when there is growing concern over British working hours and the need to reduce workplace stress, the Legal & General Health Uncovered research provides an overview of British workers health concerns, revealing the impact that long working hours is having on Britons perceptions of their health.

Perhaps symptomatic of one in five, 20%, working too many extra hours, almost one in four, 23%, full time employees is not happy with their work-life balance.

49% of full time workers put lack of exercise as their top health concern followed by 42% who cite not getting enough sleep. Being overweight is third at 38% and 33% are stressed by their daily routine.

As part of an ongoing study of Briton’ health worries and perceptions, Legal & General questioned over 2,000 people, including 942 full time workers, about health anxieties they had during the last three months.

The impact of not taking breaks

Those people who do not take breaks at work, more than one in five, 22% said that they feel stressed by their daily routines, 23% also worry that they do not get enough fresh air and 17% are concerned that they are not doing enough exercise.

Almost double the people working non-stop through the day, 29%, also said that they are concerned for their health because they do not have enough time to follow a healthy diet, compared with only 17% of all Brits being concerned about a healthy diet. Senior management pushing themselves the hardest

Senior management are the least likely to take breaks from work, 29% working through the day, compared to 16% of people in non-managerial roles.

12% of senior managers say that they don’t take holidays from work, compared to a national average of 5%.

People at the top of the career ladder are also the most likely to say they work too many extra hours, 32% compared to 12% of people in non-managerial positions.

People in the North East most likely to work non-stop

Despite City worker’s having the reputation for burning the candle at both ends, it is workers in Newcastle and Middlesbrough that are the most likely to work non-stop through the day. One in five, 20%, of full time workers in the North East never take a break during the working day, compared with 14% of Londoners.

Commenting on the research findings Dr John Delfosse, Company Medical Officer for Legal & General’s Group Protection business said: “Work is very important to many people providing purpose, self-worth and fulfilment, but for some, particularly those with heavy work responsibilities, they may become absorbed in their daily routine and so do not take timeout for themselves during the day. This can lead to increased pressure and stress, which if prolonged may take its toll on a workers physical and mental wellbeing. This in turn may result in a range of health problems such as heart disease, back pain and gastrointestinal problems.

"Making the effort to take a short break, at least every three hours, whether that is going for a short walk, sitting down to eat a balanced meal or relaxing over a magazine, can have huge benefits to a workers health and wellbeing. As well as reducing stress, it may also help people to improve their work/life balance.”

Diane Buckley, Managing Director of Legal & General’s Group Protection business, commented: “The latest CBI’s annual absence and labour turnover survey highlighted that staff absence cost UK employers over £13bn last year. Although the majority of absence is short term, the average cost to the employer, including direct and indirect expenses is currently a staggering £800 per absent employee. So it is extremely important that employers ensure their employees do take timeout away from their work during the day to reduce the likely impact of staff absenteeism and in particular long term sickness.”

Diane continued: “Legal & General provides employers with counselling and rehabilitation support for employees, particularly those suffering from stress, which is showing that it does improve the potential for long term absent employees to return to work. Our rehabilitation success rate in respect of psychological and stress claims is currently running at over 60% and as a result is substantially containing the cost of staff absenteeism for the employers we are working with.”