Strategy & Operations » Leadership & Management » UK finance professionals work fewer hours

UK finance professionals work fewer hours

Finance professionals in the UK rank 13th out of 17 when it comes to the number of hours they spend at work

A report by financial recruitment company Robert Half, Working Hours: A
global comparison
, compared the working practices of finance professionals
in 17 countries, including the amount of work they do on holiday, evenings and
weekends.

On average, UK finance professionals work 42.1 hours a week – with the global
average being 42.4 hours. This is despite more than half (53%) claiming that
they have been putting in more hours than at any time over the past two years.

Globally, more than one-third (38%) take either their laptop or PDA with them
on holiday, with 14% saying they cannot relax unless they are in touch with the
office. This compares to 31% and 11% respectively in the UK. A similar number
(34%) also work in the evenings with 37% either taking calls or responding to
emails.

“The impact of wireless technology means work is no longer restricted to the
office,” claims the report. “Laptops, BlackBerries and other mobile electronic
devices make access to the office just an arm’s length away.”

Finance professionals in Luxembourg (47.6 hours) and Japan (47.1 hours) work
the longest weeks, with Switzerland enjoying an almost part-time working week of
36.4 hours.

“In many industries, financial employees must look beyond international time
zones and work whenever they are needed to accommodate operating hours in
foreign markets,” the report authors conclude.

www.roberthalf.co.uk

Share
Was this article helpful?

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to get your daily business insights