Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

In a study commissioned by Staples, Inc. (SPLS), it found that 50% of U.S. small business managers work during family time and do business while driving.

The results were gathered from 300 managers of small businesses with 20 or less employees, which is representative of 90 percent of all U.S. businesses. The conclusion was that working hours were increasing, they took less vacation and the difference between work and time of were blurring.

“Time is a critical resource for companies of all sizes, but it’s of even greater importance to small business managers, who possess a larger stake in their company’s success and often lack the support infrastructure of bigger businesses,” said John Giusti, vice president of Staples Business Delivery. “The results from this survey reflect what we regularly hear from our small business customers, who say a lack of time is a constant challenge.”

Some of the findings:

Almost 70 percent work on days off by checking voicemails, emails or making calls.

About 66 percent said that they work after hours.

A huge 51 percent work on holidays.  

Around half said they worked during what should have been family time.

Over 33 percent said that they couldn't even remember the last time they took a vacation. If they took a vacation, half of those worked during it.

Another 21 percent worked 80 hours a week and the same percentage worked while eating 4 to 5 times a week.

Hand-Held devices haven't helped in this, but has added to the longer hours. 

While most of this won't surprise a lot of people, in my experience, small business managers seem to have a much more difficult time letting go than their large business manager counterparts. That doesn't mean you won't find some of these same statistics with managers of larger companies, just not as high.

I think that part of the problem is that some people have a hard time letting go and empowering employees to do the job in smaller businesses. It's just small enough that they can almost put their arms around the operation - almost but not quite. That's why the hours and percentages are so high.

I think that the answer to a lot of this is letting go, empowering, trust, training and communication with our workers. Too many managers say things like, "If I want it done right, I have to do it myself." They don't realize that it's an indictment against themselves for not managing workers right.

Do you find yourself on the receiving end of never seeming to have enough time, and respond by working long hours?