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 among the most diligent workers. On average, they put in around 41 hours per week, which exceeds the European Union's average for employees by about 5 hours.
A recent study conducted by fintech firm SumUp involving almost 4,000 microbusiness 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% choose not to have lunch, respectively.
In Italy, the highest percentage (33%) of participants acknowledged having lunch breaks exceeding sixty minutes.
France ranks second at (15%), followed by Germany with (12%) and Ireland at (6%). The UK remains last at (5%).
Germans and French emphasize personal well-being, whereas Brits prefer spending time with family.
Despite 38% of British people enjoying quality time with their families during their leisure moments, they prioritize self-care the least (34%), compared to other nations surveyed.
Self-care stands at 38% in Ireland, above 41% in France, 47% in Germany, and more than 52% in Italy.
"UK small enterprises have faced consecutive setbacks, including the impacts of COVID-19, the escalating cost of living, and an increase in national insurance as part of the recent budget. Business owners are striving desperately to keep their operations going," he states. SumUp Corin Camenisch, who is the Product Marketing Lead,
However, neglecting your well-being can result in exhaustion or physical health issues. The emphasis on non-stop work may create misunderstandings regarding true success.
Who are the entrepreneurs with the most hours worked per week?
Eurostat data provides us with a more distinct understanding 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 are found in Belgium, putting in an average of 48.9 working hours each week.
They are followed by Cypriots (47.5) and Greeks (47.3).
On the lower end of the spectrum, 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.
Although the UK does not appear in Eurostat statistics, SumUp research indicates that 41% of British micro-business owners work more than 40 hours per week, with 10% logging over 60 hours.
Women from Ireland and Italy are more prone to forgo vacations compared to their male counterparts.
The inconsistency regarding the amount of vacation time used throughout the year has decreased overall.
The British are the most prone to taking fewer than one week of vacation, with just 13.8% doing so. This is followed by France with 12%, Italy with 11.9%, Germany with 11.1%, and Ireland with 8.1%.
Nonetheless, there is a gender gap in some nations concerning this issue.
Female entrepreneurs from Italy and Ireland are more prone to giving up their vacations for work compared to their male peers: an increase of 9.1% in Italy and 6.3% in Ireland.
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