Study finds UK a nation of workaholics

Up to a million people in Britain are workaholics, averaging 60 hours a week, with their "addiction" to work affecting their productivity and personal lives.

A survey of 8,000 people [which was] carried out by the Institute of Personnel and Development found that managers and professional workers are most likely to put in extra hours, blaming heavy workloads or "sheer love of the job". 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
But 75% of people working over 48 hours a week admitted they had made mistakes because of tiredness and only a minority believed [that] workaholics are more productive. 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
A third of people working long hours conceded that relationships with a spouse or partner had been strained, while one in eight said they had broken up with their partner because of the amount of time they spent at work. 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
A similar proportion of people working over 48 hours claimed to be addicted to their job. People working long hours also said [that]  they spent a lot of time solving problems [that were]  caused by inefficiency in their organisation. 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
"While it is undoubtedly true that many people are straining under heavy workloads, the results suggest [that] there is still scope for organisations and individuals to find ways of working smarter rather than harder," said the report's author Melissa Compton-Edwards. 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
She added that the findings showed long-hours workers were not all "downtrodden drudges", but enthusiasts who worked long hours out of choice. But she warned: "While there is nothing wrong with having a passion for work, regularly burning the midnight oil could result in accidents or costly mistakes being made." 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
Roger Lyons, general secretary of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance union, said: "The fact that large numbers choose to work long hours despite the detrimental effects on their family lives and health, only strengthens the need for regulation of working hours. What is important is not the time you put in, but what you put in to the time." 

Philip Sanders, managing director of employee assistance firm Personal Performance Consultants, said: "While workaholics themselves may find their lifestyle satisfactory, their behaviour can become a real problem at work. 
				(What is/are the main point(s) of the paragraph)
"They can suffer from a short fuse and inattention to detail, damaging relationships with colleagues."

Workaholic figures

•	One in 10 of the 8,000 [who were] surveyed work more than the Working Time Regulations threshold of 48 hours a week. 
•	Two out of three people who admit to long hours work on public holidays including Christmas, while more than one in three do not take their full holiday entitlement. 
•	A separate report on Monday found that two-thirds of workers regularly work longer than their basic hours. 
•	Another study found that millions of workers have to put in an extra 40 hours just to make up time for their summer holiday.

Guardian: Wednesday August 25, 1999 

I.	Task: 

Write a summary of the article in your own words. Begin with an introductory sentence summarising the whole article as has been done here and then mention the main points.
You must use the following words and phrases:

•	spouse
•	according to (sb.)
•	survey
•	to burn the midnight oil
•	to put in xy hours per ...... (week/day)
•	to strain / to be (put) a strain on
•	workaholic
•	workload
•	to blame sb./sth.