An Englishmans home is his office

ìAn Englishmanís home is his castleî, an old adage but with the total time spent at work reaching a record high, an Englishmanís home is now more likely to be in the office. While St Georgeís Day may provide some with an opportunity to celebrate what it means to be English, it also marks a time to critique the modern-day equivalent of the Englishmanís castle.

According to national statistics* staff, including part-time employees, were spending an average of 32 hours and 14 minutes a week at work - 23 minutes more than a year ago. Perhaps not surprisingly the stress of modern living has for the first time resulted in mental problems overtaking physical ailments as the chief cause of long-term sickness in Britain.**

Bibby Financial Serviceís research*** has shown that the small business sector is particularly prone to suffer from a bad work-life balance. 98% of British small business owners and managers feel stressed at work, with more than a quarter (26%) feeling under pressure for between 75% and 100% of the time.

David Robertson, chief executive of specialist cash flow provider, Bibby Financial Services, said: ìMany entrepreneurs go it alone because they want to be their own boss, however itís vital they retain a work-life balance for themselves. Not only does it make sound personal sense but a positive work-life balance delivers a number of business benefits including increased staff loyalty, greater motivation of employees, reduced absenteeism, attraction and retention of a talented workforce and improved customer service.î

Bibby Financial Services has drawn up the following top tips to enable owner managers to spot the tell tale signs of stress and slay the dragon before it terrorises the office:

Watch out for ësickiesí?
The most common side effects of excessive stress levels are irritability, insomnia and difficulty concentrating, however, more serious physical complaints such as migraines, nausea and ulcers can be caused by feelings of stress for prolonged periods of time. A rise in staff taking frequent short spells off work should be a warning bell that morale and confidence is low

Putting in the hours
Not leaving work on time at the end of the day could indicate there is too much to cope with. Working under added pressure staff feel they have to overcompensate for low or fluctuating concentration levels throughout the day by staying late

Paperwork pile up
Degeneration of the workspace into a paperwork pile up could indicate staff are feeling so under pressure they are unable to clear things up as they go about their work. This can in turn aggravate feelings of stress and increase negativity

Sort it outÖ
If any of the above sounds familiar practical steps can be taken to combat the problem:

Donít depend on long hours
Donít start depending on your teamís long hours. Chances are they are being put in to make up for poor organisation and planning in the workplace. Get back to grass roots and look at the cause of the problem

Reward commitment
UK employees did 23billion of unpaid overtime in 2004**** if you do need the team to go that extra mile and you donít pay overtime think creatively about how you can give them other rewards ñ such as time off in lieu and one-off bonuses ñ to reward commitment

Ask around
Find out about staff needs and expectations ñ what type of work-life balance initiatives would they prefer and how do they see it working in practice? Involving staff in the decision making process will increase the likelihood of success.

Shout about it
Ensure your policies are comprehensively explained in the staff handbook and in team briefings. Remember to include your commitment to work-life balance in recruitment advertising and explain your staff policies to new joiners

David said: ìItís easy for office pressures to snowball and the results to impact negatively on the business and peopleís personal lives. To work effectively and efficiently during time at the office itís vital to remember your castle is your home and not the office.î

* Times online, 16 March 2005, Mike Verdin

** Editorial: Long term sickness absence. BMJ Volume 330 pp802-3

*** National survey of 160 respondents consisting of owners, partners, directors and managing directors of SMEs, conducted in 2001 ****Trades Union Congress (TUC)