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Melissa Compton-Edwards, author of a report, 'Married to the Job', has a warning for employers who don’t insist on a healthy work/life balance for their employees:

“What should not be overlooked is that excessive hours can have a negative effect on job performance and cause costly or reputation-damaging mistakes. Fatigue-related accidents are potentially life-threatening. Employers need to ensure that they do everything in their power to improve productivity through efficiency improvements rather than by overloading their staff.”

“It is important for employees to take the time off they are entitled to. Everybody needs a break to relax and unwind.”

UK employees are the worst in Europe for working over-time and not taking their full holiday entitlement. Breaks are supposed to help reduce ill-health and absenteeism. But how many of us worry about the workloads we return to, which motivates us to work whilst on a break; or, we return having done no work, only to feel like we need another holiday after a few days.