KEY POINTS:
Don't like working weekends? Hate those pesky after hours phone calls? Move to Ireland.
According to a new international survey Kiwis work harder than the Irish but not as hard as Australians.
The workplace survey conducted by recruitment agency Robert Half, questioned 5098 managers across 17 countries, asking them about their working hours.
It found 17 per cent of New Zealand managers worked three weekends or more a month.
Across the Tasman, 21 per cent of managers said they worked three weekends or more a month, while the Irish were more laid-back, with only 5 per cent willing to give up their weekends.
It seems New Zealanders and Australians just can't switch off.
Only 26 per cent and 20 per cent respectively ignore phone calls and emails during the weekend.
The Irish maintained a much firmer boundary between work and home - 55 per cent of managers switch off entirely.
With the luck of the Irish, working weeks are also shorter, only 3 per cent said they worked more than 55 hours a week.
Compare this with 13 per cent of Kiwi managers working these hours and 11 per cent of Australians.
The main reason for working longer hours was the same in all three countries - the managers had taken on more responsibility and felt more pressure.
The second most common reason across all three was that company growth led to a higher workload.
But Kiwi managers were more motivated by money than either their Australian or Irish counterparts.
Twice as many Kiwis as Australians cited this as a reason for working longer hours.
Absolutely none of the Irish found money a compelling enough reason to work longer hours.
In Auckland, Robert Half finance and accounting division director Megan Alexander said the attitude of New Zealand managers reflected the changed business environment.
"A few years back our results would have been much more aligned to those of Ireland.
"But New Zealand's economy has been growing at the same time as it has been facing an increasing skills shortage.
"As a result, people are working harder just to get the work done. The skills shortage means people are also being promoted earlier than they were in the past, and so may have to put in longer hours to learn their new roles."
But Ms Alexander said Kiwi managers could learn from the Irish about the importance of taking time off to be with family.
"Working extra hours and taking work home sometimes goes with the territory of being a manager," she said.
"But we all need to ensure that even in times of strong economic growth we maintain a healthy balance between work and the rest of our lives."
- NZPA
