A group of five Conservative MPs believe British workers are too lazy, it has been reported.
UK office employees need to work harder in order to boost the UK’s recovery, according to a group of Conservative MPs.
Five members of the Free Enterprise Group – Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Elizabeth Truss – have accused British employees of being too idle.
The MPs – all of whom entered parliament for the first time in 2010 – have called on the government to promote the importance of a strong work ethic.
They said that all too many people are happier having a lie-in than putting in a hard day’s work in the office, and this needs to change.
And in a new book, the MPs said vital business productivity is at risk.
“We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor,” the group stated.
“Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music.”
Some UK employees may feel a little harshly treated by the MPs, particularly in light of an Office for National Statistics survey on working hours.
According to the research, published in December 2011, only in Austria and Greece do European citizens work longer hours during the week.
The average full-time staff member spends 42 hours a week at work, more than in a host of rival nations such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Many employees would argue that they do work extremely hard, even more so since the recession.
So it is important to distinguish between committed professionals and the minority of people with little apparent interest in getting a job and giving their all.
