Workaholism is a growing addiction among Britain’s workforce, according to new research issued by Travelodge.
So big is the problem that one in ten British workers is cramming a whole extra week of unpaid work on top of their working schedules. Meanwhile a third of Britons are working an additional 16 hours per week, in order to manage their workload and keep their boss happy.
This overtime culture means the average worker puts in 9.1 extra unpaid hours every week, which translates into £5,276.18 in unpaid time every year. Across the working population, this means British workers give away £157.2bn in unpaid time.
All work and no play is creating a relentless pressure on British workers, with 66% of adults experiencing soaring stress levels on a regular basis and 31% finding it difficult to get through the average week.
Further research findings highlighted that 40% of workers have to regularly work at home in the evenings, and a third have to put in extra hours over the weekend in order to manage their workload.
On top of all this, 24/7 access to email is an added intrusion that makes it even harder for workers to unwind. The constant presence of email means that workers are always plugged into the office and are checking their inboxes around the clock.
One in five adults surveyed said that they check their email as soon as they wake up in the morning whilst 13% of workers stated they regularly wake up in the middle of the night to check incoming emails.
