80% of bosses work every weekend

FOUR-out-of-five Irish bosses work every weekend, while almost half miss important family events due to work pressures.

This is according to annual research from TNS mrbi, conducted on behalf of mobile service provider, O2.

It found 75% of Irish bosses work at weekends more than once a month, up from 62% last year.

Over half of Irish owner- managers have to bring work home in the evenings, while almost 66% of these bring work home at least two to three times a week.

The number of bosses working more than 51 hours a week has risen 7% from last year to 37%, while two-thirds of bosses work 41 or more hours a week.

Many also exceed the legal maximum number of hours worked.

The legal limit for employees set by the Department of Enterprise is an average 48 hours a week.

As a result of long hours worked, 42% of bosses miss important family events such as anniversaries or children’s birthday parties.

The study also found that owner-managers tend to favour sedentary activities.

The top preference for relaxation is watching television, followed by reading, taking the family out or going to the pub. Playing sport ranks fifth, with going to the gym seventh.