SOME 28,000 Kent business bosses say they spend too much time at work.

Less than half of the county’s bosses believe they have the right balance between home and work life, according to the latest figures released in Business Link Kent’s, Kent Business Barometer Survey.

The new research shows that 48 per cent say they have the balance right, 50 per cent think they spend too much time doing work and two per cent feel they devote too much attention to domestic concerns.

East Kent (Thanet, Canterbury and Dover) has the highest proportion (56 per cent) of those who think they’ve struck the right balance compared with just 43 per cent in the Channel Corridor (Maidstone, Shepway and Ashford) and Thames Gateway (Dartford, Gravesend, Medway and Swale). The highest percentage (61 per cent) of those who feel their life is out of kilter is in businesses employing between six and nine staff.

Deryck Banks, business services manager at Business Link Kent, said: "Getting the wrong balance between home and work can have serious implications for small businesses.

"An organisation that has a 'work hard’ culture often suffers from high staff turnover, meaning that as well as losing expertise and continuity it has to pay the cost of replacement employees – some £4,000 per vacancy.

"Business owners and managers also suffer from spending too much time at work. They arrive early, spend all day firefighting and then get home late and tired, which can damage their personal relationships."

Business Link Kent offers a number of services to help employers tackle workplace problems.

Deryck added: "Bosses need to delegate more and to help them do so we can identify the skills and training that their staff need so that they can take on more responsible roles. The people in charge should also lead by example and make sure they go home at a sensible time and encourage their colleagues to do likewise.

"As part of the Investors in People standard, businesses can work towards work/life balance modules and there are experts in the field who we can introduce to companies.

"But many steps are just commonsense and needn’t cost any money to implement. More flexible working hours or allowing staff to work from home, for example, can have a dramatic impact an employee’s quality of life. Finally, don’t overlook the role that IT can play in helping a business work smarter."

The findings come in the Kent Business Barometer, a quarterly survey designed to help Business Link Kent map business confidence, track trends and build on its knowledge of the needs of local businesses and the issues they face.