-Although the working week is officially limited to 48 hours, the UK has opted out of the European Working Time Directive, which means that some employees may work more hours by written consent. The two most frequent concerns amongst UK employees are long hours and the intensity of work. In fact, many employees say they are working as hard as they can and could not imagine being able to work any harder. All these factors contribute to awareness of work-life balance as a pressing issue and how work demands often stand in the way of family commitments.