A report by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found that most UK workers who put in long hours did so voluntarily or to further their careers. The report also argued against the idea of long hours and overworked workaholics, pointing to official figures that showed the average full-time male employee worked fewer than 40 hours a week and women 35 hours a week. Union leaders dismissed the findings.
See "UK's long hours culture 'a myth'", BBC News Online, May 27, 2003