One-third of self-employed people in Belgium work more than 50 hours per week – much more than the average employee. However, surveys have found that extra hours are not an immediate strain on their mental well-being.
While the average full-time employee works around 38 or 40 hours a week in Belgium, the self-employed are occupied for many more hours in their jobs, the latest figures from HR company Acerta have found. Only one in five work between 30 and 40 hours.
Seven in 10 self-employed people in Belgium spend more than 40 hours a week on their jobs and one in three (35.6%) even spends more than 50 hours working, the survey of more than 2,300 self-employed people found.
"Self-employed people often work very hard to get their business off the ground and keep it running. Sometimes they go beyond their limits to do so," said Nicolas Pevenage, Innovation Director of Starters & Self-employed.
This is reflected in the fact that three in 10 self-employed people say they cannot stop working after hours; almost two-thirds (64%) also follow their work closely after hours.
Self-employed self-care
While 65% of self-employed people taking part in the survey indicated that they are satisfied to very satisfied with their work-life balance, 68% also admitted they are really busy at work and 59% think of themselves as working long hours.
At the same time, many self-employed people realise that activities outside work are important for their mental well-being. Consequently, two-thirds would like to spend more time with family and 59.9% would like to play more sports.
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Pevenage stressed that while the business world has been paying greater attention to the mental well-being of employees in recent years, self-care for the self-employed too often remains taboo, adding that many self-employed people are already in that "red zone" of putting their mental health at risk.
Acerta has created the "first-ever scientific self-care scan" together with the Federal Government, where self-employed people can test their mental well-being and receive a personal report with results and advice. Some 4,000 self-employed people have reportedly already completed the test.
