The pursuit of a better work-life balance is at the root of calls for flexible hours, affordable childcare and paid paternity leave. More than ever before we demanding choice in our working lives. Gemma Lavender of the TUC explores the pressures and challenges.

The issue

If you're not careful, work can take over your life. People in Britain work longer hours than anywhere else in Europe. Too many workplaces are gripped by a long hours culture where everyone is expected to do hours of unpaid overtime every week. Astonishingly, people in Britain do £23 billion worth of unpaid overtime every year - that would be a £4,000 wages boost for the average long-hours worker.

Hardly surprising, then, that there's an epidemic of workplace stress. Contrary to some expectations, according to a recent TUC poll, Brits do actually enjoy their jobs. 85 per cent told us that they found their work enjoyable and fulfilling, yet slightly more than half said they also found it hard to cope with the pressure.

Eight million people complain that pressure of work gives them headaches or migraines, 12 million say they get bad tempered and irritable at home, nearly three million need to take time off work and more than two-and-a-half million say they drink too much.

That is why work-life balance is the slogan of the moment. Unions, good employers and the government are all concerned - but much more needs to be done.

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The balancing act: work v life

The balancing act:
work v life