Entrepreneurs form the cornerstone of Europe’s economic structure.
According to Eurostat, micro and small businesses, which employ fewer than 50 people each, account for 99% of all companies within the European Union.
Smaller business owners are often the most diligent workers. On average, they put in around 41 hours per week, which is more than the European Union average of 36 hours for employees.
A recent study conducted by fintech firm SumUp on around 4,000 micro-business owners across Ireland, Italy, the UK, Germany, and France highlights significant variations in their daily work routines.
The British decline lunch breaks, while Italians take more than an hour for theirs.
According to the report, 43% of small business owners in the UK mention that they seldom take time for lunch breaks.
This shows a stark difference when compared to Italy and France, where merely 11% and 17% of people choose not to have lunch, respectively.
In Italy, the highest percentage (33%) of participants admitted to having lunch breaks exceeding an hour in length.
France lags behind with 15%, followed by Germany at 12% and Ireland at 6%. The UK remained at the lowest position with just 5%.
Germans and French emphasize personal well-being, whereasBrits prefer spending time withfamily.
Even though 38% of British people enjoy spending time with their family during their leisure moments, they prioritize self-care the least (34%) compared to other nations surveyed.
Self-care stands at 38% in Ireland, exceeds 41% in France, reaches nearly 47% in Germany, and surpasses 52% in Italy.
“Small businesses in the UK have been hit by wave upon wave of misfortune, from COVID-19 to the cost of living crisis and a rise in national insurance in the budget. Owners are doing everything they can to stay afloat,” says
SumUp
Corin Camenisch, who is the Product Marketing Lead,
However, failing to take care of yourself, you may swiftly experience burnout or develop physical health issues. The continuous praise for non-stop labor can create misunderstandings regarding true success.
Who are the entrepreneurs with the most hours worked per week?
Eurostat data
provides us with a more distinct view of the actual number of hours worked by those who are self-employed.
When examining entrepreneurs from companies of every size — with 99% being small enterprises — the most diligent workers are the Belgians, averaging approximately 48.9 hours per week.
They are followed by Cypriots (47.5) and Greeks (47.3).
On the lower end of the spectrum, the Baltic nations report working the fewest hours, with Latvia (37.8), Estonia (38.8), and Lithuania (39.3) occupying the last positions on the list.
The UK is not included in Eurostat data, however, the SumUp research says 41% of British small-entrepreneurs work over 40 hours a week, with 10% putting in over 60 hours.
Irish and Italian women more likely to sacrifice holidays than men
There is more consistency across the board in the amount of time off taken during the year.
Brits are the most likely to take less than one week’s holidays. However, this rate is only 13.8%, followed by France at 12%, Italy at 11.9%, Germany (11.1%) and Ireland (8.1%).
However, there is a gender gap in some countries when it comes to this issue.
Female entrepreneurs from Italy and Ireland are more prone to skipping vacations for work purposes compared to their male peers: 9.1% higher in Italy and 6.3% greater in Ireland.
