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All work and no play for most managersBy Julie Clothier for CNN  Most managers find it hard to stop all contact with their job -- even while they are on vacation. QUICKVOTEGLOBAL OFFICE
ON CNNI TV
YOUR SAY
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- Three out of four bosses make themselves available to their job at all hours of the day, and their personal relationships suffer as a result of their workaholic tendencies, according to a survey about managers' working hours. UK law firm Peninsula, the company behind the survey, is warning that failure to unwind, relax and the inability to have a release from work has a dire effect on employers' work performance and motivation. The survey of 1,800 employers found that 79 percent -- almost four out of five -- worked more than 60 hours a week -- an average of 12 hours a day in a five-day working week. Just six percent, meanwhile, worked between 40 and 50 hours a week, while 15 percent worked between 50 and 60 hours. The survey also found that 87 percent made themselves available for work-related issues by leaving their cell phones switched on once they had left the office, and 82 percent found it impossible to turn their minds off work after hours. The effect of working such long hours had detrimental effects on their personal relationships and sleeping patterns, managers said. Three out of four -- or 76 percent -- said their commitment to their job had a negative effect on relationships and their social life, while the same number said they survived on between two and four hours of quality sleep a day. Peninsula managing director Peter Done said the results of the survey showed that entrepreneurs invested a great deal of time and effort as well as making social sacrifices to make their business work. "As a managing director myself I know how it feels to be constantly pushed for time everyday," he said. "There is a lot of talk about how employees are stressed in the workplace but the pressures employers are under are immense with responsibility and expectation coming from both inside and outside the company." He said some managers were too busy to take holidays and refused to remove themselves completely from their work environment, which could have serious consequences, including on their health. "Some employers find the pressure a buzz or a motivation to coincide with their willingness, determination and relentless drive to succeed," he said. "However, others feel the strain more than others and are liable to have detrimental health implications both mentally and physically often leading to burnout." He said even though managers felt putting in long hours at the office would reap benefits for their company, getting the work-life balance right was also good for business. Having a social life, getting enough sleep and maintaining personal relationships were also vital, he said. "Employers seem to be working longer and longer hours with the majority now working in excess of 60 hours in a week, working long hours has many pitfalls and it seems bosses are forfeiting quality for quantity of work," Done said. Meanwhile, career breaks and sabbaticals are set to become increasingly popular as firms give valuable workers time off rather than lose them, a separate report has predicted. The survey of 500 company bosses showed that almost half would give extra paid leave to staff to make sure they stayed with the organization, the UK's Press Association reported. Most of those polled by volunteer travel firm i-to-i said they believed giving sabbaticals would help retain workers as well as boost their skills and experience. A third of the managing directors and other executives said they would like to take a career break themselves, PA said. 
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