Ruth Lea

Britain's bosses have launched a fierce attack on calls to improve the "work-life balance" of employees.

In a report issued on Monday, the Institute of Directors (IoD) said some campaigners appeared to be comparing modern businesses with the "dark satanic mills" of William Blake.

Setting out the case against any further family-friendly government legislation, the IoD said that there should be a greater acceptance that "life is full of hard choices".

The report's author, Ruth Lea, said that Britain's companies were already amongst the most flexible in the world, while complaints about Britain's "long hours culture" were not born out by official statistics.

Supporters of an improved work-life balance ignore the facts and "run an anti-business agenda that seems hell-bent on demonising the workplace", said Lea.

She added that there was an assumption that "life" is good while "work" is bad.

"Unfortunately, the 'work-life balance' agenda is behind many of the government's family friendly regulations, which make it ever harder to run a business," said Lea.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if they were the only extra employment regulations introduced by a highly interventionist government - but they're not."

The report said that while the modern workplace has its pressures and problems, many of those supporting calls for change were "distorting the truth".

"Underlying the work-life balance agenda, there is much misinformation, propaganda and economy with the truth that is undoubtedly anti-business," said the report.

"Employees, on the whole, are not working unacceptable hours against their will, many employees are satisfied with their work and the employed are fitter and happier than the unemployed.

"Britain already has many flexible working practices and the British workplace has not become a hotbed of insecurity."

The report also argued that employees should enter into contracts that spell out their duties and obligations towards their employer, as well as their rights.

"Life, for everyone, is full of 'hard choices' and this includes people's work-life balance. No amount of work-life balance regulations will fundamentally change this fact," the study concluded.

But Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary elect, mocked business fears.

"If the IoD are right, millions of workers would clamouring outside their work places today demanding to be let in and furious at being forced to take a bank holiday off," he said.