Long working hours are a turn-off as well as being dangerous

One aspect of the long-hours culture that small and medium-sized enterprises would do well to pay attention to is driving, according to a recent report. Apparently confirming the popular image of speeding reps and aggressive van drivers, research published recently by Fleetline, a company that is part of the ABN AMRO group and specialises in assisting the management of fleets of 10 to 50 vehicles, shows that a third of all UK traffic accidents involve company cars.

Moreover, SMEs are doing little to reduce this. More than three-quarters are not implementing procedures to limit the number of working hours employees spend on the road for business, while more than half are not protecting themselves from the potentially crippling effects of a claim for compensation.

David Hartnett, Fleetline director, says: "SMEs with a fleet of company cars need to implement risk management procedures so the possibility of driver accidents is reduced and the company is not exposed to the damaging effects of a corporate liability claim."

Hartnett believes employers could make a simple difference by being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to road safety. Nearly 90 per cent of businesses do not offer driver training, says Fleetline. It recommends that businesses reappraise their training processes so that driving standards are raised – and the risk of accidents and claims reduced. The report comes as yet more research suggests that young people entering the workforce are less willing to spend long hours on the road – or indeed in any other area of work.

Two-thirds of small businesses believe young people want more glamorous jobs than those on offer, and a similar proportion claim to be so disappointed with young staff that they would prefer to choose older employees because they are more reliable and work harder.

Gary Hockey-Morley, director of the business arm of Abbey National, says: "Although bosses are some of the hardest working people in the country, they are not recruitment professionals and rely on gut instinct. That's why they often choose older, more mature staff. However, young people need to be even more professional in interviews and recruiters have to work to overcome gut feel."