Employment laws are in place to protect us from working too hard, but is it becoming the expectation that we should all be working more hours than we are contracted to work? Some people would argue that this is indeed the case, and that the culture in their workplace is to work long hours and be constantly contactable.

Whilst this might be the way people feel, it really isn’t healthy, or fair on employers. If you are concerned about the workload, speak to your managers. If they choose to work longer hours, this shouldn’t be something that you see as aspirational, as this is purely their personal decision. If anyone ever tries to suggest you should work longer hours, you should remind them that this isn’t fair on a regular basis. Of course, it may be required something, and this will probably be in your contract. But it really isn’t fair of an employer to expect you to be working longer hours as the norm.