UK work worries 'weigh heavily'

Decide on a leaving time, experts say

Many British employees spend their leisure time fretting over work and fantasising about winning the lottery, according to a new survey from Natwest bank.

Despite working the second longest hours in the developed world, it seems Britons are unable to switch off at home.

Eight out of ten women and six out of ten men said that their nights are often punctuated by dreams about work.

Disturbingly, 65% of women and 43% of men said that they actually woke up in a cold sweat having dreamed about problems at work.

Escape

Working women find it hardest to relax because they often have to juggle household chores and their careers, in effect a double shift, the survey says.

By buying a lottery ticket and hoping to change their lives that way people are engaging in fantasy which can be unhealthy.

Carey Cooper, psychologist

Londoners are the least likely to take their work troubles home with them, while those living in the West Country and Wales find their home lives most disrupted by employment woes.

According to Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at the University of Manchester's Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), this is because Londoners have more 'escape' opportunities.

"The capital's workers have more distractions on their doorstep to provide a buffer between work and their home lives."

"What is more, job opportunities are greater. If workers find they are unhappy, often they find another place to work," Mr Cooper added.

Get rich

However, Mr Cooper believes Britons frequently engage in 'avoidance' activities, such as complaining about their boss to work colleagues in the pub, rather than confronting their problems head on.

Other 'avoidance' activities include watching too much television and buying lottery tickets.

Eight of ten workers surveyed admitted to day-dreaming about having more money.

"Avoidance means not taking control of your destiny. By buying a lottery ticket and hoping to change their lives that way, people are engaging in fantasy which can be unhealthy."

For a healthier work-life balance, Mr Cooper recommends that workers decide on a time they will leave the office and stick to it, and try and relieve work stress by taking exercise, swimming, or dining out with a partner or friend.