Britain's long hours culture is not working, Patricia Hewitt has warned.

The trade and industry secretary told the Work Foundation on Wednesday that the UK's employees work the longest hours in Europe and yet achieve some of the lowest levels of productivity.

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

Ruth Lea, head of the policy unit at the IoD, told ePolitix.com: "I'm sure that we all agree that a flexible workforce is a good thing but it is important to point out what British employers already do for their employees. 41 per cent of working women, for example, work part-time in the UK compared with an EU average of 28 per cent and an OECD average of 24 per cent.

"And this is being done at a time when the burden of employment regulation is becoming ever more onerous. Please give credit where credit is due. It is also important to note that there are limits as to what employers can do by way of accommodating their employees' requests for flexible working.

"To give more balance to the debate, one should add that we do not work the longest hours in the EU and, compared with the world's powerhouse economy - the US - we are relatively 'short hours' workers. Whether this is a good or bad thing is a different issue - but at least it should be acknowledged in any debate."