High working hours damages economy and wellbeing

A rise in the number of working hours could be having a negative impact on the nation’s mental wellbeing and be costing the economy billions.

TUC analysis has found 3,337,000 employees, or roughly one in eight workers, are now working more than 48 hours a week, which is a rise of 250,000 since 2001.

Mental health charity Mind told the BBC that such a bad work-life balance could lead to poor mental health in the workplace, which costs the UK economy up to £100bn per year.

Some firms in the UK are attempting to combat this by allowing their staff a shorter working week. Pursuit Marketing, in Glasgow, told the BBC that their 100 staff have worked a four-day week since a successful trial in 2016.