Business leaders in Botswana work the longest hours in Africa, clocking up to 56 hours a week, according to a survey published on Tuesday. Botswana business leaders are also among the hardest working in the world clocking only one hour less than their counterparts in India who are the hardest working in the world.
South African business people are reported to be the second hardest working in the continent at an average of 55 hours a week.
A survey by London-based accounting firm Grant Thornton International also found that more business people in Botswana were experiencing more stress at work compared to their counterparts in the rest of Africa.
Grant Thornton said that with strong economic growth across Asia, more business people in the region reported an increase in stress levels.
“Globalisation and increasing technological advances have increased the pressure on business leaders to ‘always be contactable’,” said Kon Yin Tong, managing partner of Foo Kon Tan Grant Thornton, the Singapore unit of the group.
“The challenge for business leaders is how they can improve modern working practices to allow time to ‘switch off’ from the strains of increasingly demanding business lives while remaining competitive.”
The survey involved 7,200 respondents in 32 countries.
Top 10 countries with the longest working weeks
(Average hours worked per week)
1. India 57
2. Argentina 57
3. Armenia 56
4. Australia 56
5. Botswana 56
6. Turkey 55
7. United States 55
8. South Africa 55
9. Singapore 54
10. Hong Kong 54
Top 10 countries where leaders reported higher stress levels this year compared to 2006
1. China
2. Taiwan
3. India
4. Russia
5. Botswana
6. Singapore
7. Hong Kong
8. Malaysia
9. Philippines
10. South Africa
