A poll carried out by leading accountancy software provider FreeAgent has found that nearly a third (30 per cent) of self-employed people say they work more than 48 hours per week. Six percent even revealed that they work over 64 hours each week.

Staggeringly, FreeAgent also found 44 per cent of freelancers reporting that they had not felt able to take a week or more in holiday in the last six months.

The average working week

• For all Brits the average working week is 43.6 hours
• This is slightly more than the European average of 40.3 hours per week
• The French average is just 35 hours per week

(Source: TUC)

Work/life balance

Despite the long hours and seeming desperation for a holiday, the poll also revealed that many micro-business owners are generally happy with their working life.

74 per cent of respondents said that they feel like they have a good work-life balance.

CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent, Ed Molyneux, says that freelancers clearly love the freedom of being their own boss, but adds that this freedom comes with additional challenges not faced by traditional employees.

He said: “Although many freelancers and micro-business owners enjoy more flexibility over when and where they can work, our research shows that they are actually likely to work just as many hours as people who are not self-employed – and sometimes a lot more.

“That’s because they have to manage all of the admin and behind-the-scenes parts of their business, not just the parts that they get paid for.”

How to take a financial admin holiday

If, like many of the freelancers in this survey, you desperately need a week away but can’t afford to let your clients down, then it might be time to think about cutting down on your administrative burdens and taking a financial admin holiday.

Accountancy tools like FreeAgent are perfect for freelancers. The low cost accountancy software can, when delivered with the right support, save endless hours of admin, chasing-up and worry.

Ed Molyneux explains: “With the right tools in place to help ease the admin burden, however, we believe that micro-business owners can spend less time on the fiddly parts of running their business and gain the confidence to take a holiday without feeling like they’re abandoning their work.”

Umbrella can help you save time in your working week. We have all the in-house know-how to take care of your financial admin for you, so you can take a guilt-free holiday at any time you choose. 

If you need any information you can always contact the Umbrella.co.uk team. Call: 0800 121 6513. visit www.umbrella.co.uk  Email: team@umbrella.co.uk