Londoners are working longer hours than last year – and it’s not making us happy

Next time someone rolls out that line about how we’re all getting lazier, you have our permission to put them right. Thanks to our Time Our Index we’ve discovered Londoners are working longer hours and are more likely to eat al desko than last year.

When it comes to our work-life balance, it seems Londoners are working 5 percent longer than they were in 2018. That’s up to an average of 42.3 hours a week.

62 percent of us are dedicated desk-eaters, too – up 13 percent since this time last year. 

Unsurprisingly, we’re all frazzled as a result. We’ve found a 12 percent increase in the number of Londoners who felt stressed in the last 24 hours, paired with a 7 percent decrease in the number of us who felt happy in the last 24 hours. The worst news? One extra hour’s work a week makes people less likely to be happy, and more likely to be reliant on coffee and alcohol. 

Now that’s a compelling reason to take a proper lunch break and leave work on time, eh? 

Find out what else we discovered about Londoners, from our drinking habits to our sex lives, in the Time Out Index results.

Taking back your evening? Discover all the best things to do in London this evening.