Half a million homepreneurs clocking 80-hour working weeks

Those running businesses from home are working more than double the average UK worker, new study reveals

A new study has revealed nearly half a million (480,000¹) of those running businesses from home, work 80-hours per week – twice the UK national average.

The survey, carried out by print company Solopress, across UK home business owners, found that despite over four in five (85 per cent) homepreneurs being happier working for themselves than in their previous roles, hundreds of thousands are working twice as many hours.

Exploring the rise of homepreneurs, the research shows one in five (20 per cent) don’t take a lunch break and 18 per cent only manage to break for thirty minutes a day.

The study also looks at holidays and sick days taken by home business owners per year in comparison to the rest of the nation. Despite the average UK worker taking twenty-eight days annual leave per year, nearly one in five (19 per cent) of home business owners surveyed are only taking three days per annum.

Similarly, while 4.3 sick days per worker over a twelve month period is typical, nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of homepreneurs take zero days to recover their health.

While homepreneurs are willing to work longer hours, they’re not necessarily earning more cash. Over half (54 per cent) of home business owners are banking less money now than when working for someone else, as one in nine (11 per cent) only earn £10k-15k per annum. Despite this, over one in eight (13 per cent) achieve the national average (£20k-£30k), while a lucky one in ten (10 per cent) are banking £30k-£40k a year.

Aron Priest, Co-founder at Solopress comments: “Despite homepreneurship becoming a more aspirational career choice in the UK, we wanted to reveal just how much work and sacrifice it can take. It’s interesting to see that even though home business owners work longer hours and take less time to themselves per year, the vast majority of them are happier within their careers now than they were previously.

While time spent working doesn’t necessarily effect happiness within a role, employers definitely need to consider it in order to retain a motivated workforce.”