A recent report claims that the working day is now more likely to be 8am to 8pm than the traditional 9am to 5pm. Business Argus has asked local business people how they make sure their employees have a good work/life balance and aren't working longer and longer days thanks to the advent of new technology?

Gerald Davies, executive chairman, Kymin, Newport

Anyone who runs their own business knows that there is no such thing as normal hours. When you are away from the business, you are still thinking about it. If I wake in the night, worrying about a problem, I write it down on my beside notebook, and then I can get back to sleep.

Mobile phones and other gadgets are another permanent reminder that the office is never far away. We have some disagreement in the office. Robin Hall, Chris Taylor and others are never without their phones, keeping in touch with clients. As for me, I sometimes leave it at home or in the car. People ask ‘what happens if you miss a call?’ to which I answer, ‘If it was important, they’ll ring again, if it wasn’t…then they shouldn’t have rung in the first place!’ Seriously, you do get so many pointless calls and as for emails - words fail me. A proper work life balance is important. You must be able to switch off. How many times have you seen businessmen on a foreign beach, pacing up and down, obviously phoning the office. A holiday needs to be just that - a complete break from normal working life. We have always tried to fit in with client’s timing, so late afternoon or evening appointments are not rare. We don’t find that this has changed much recently, because so many of our clients have been with us for decades and are used to our ways of working. Each year, we take the whole firm for an away day. We’re off in a couple of weeks to Devon on a mystery tour. It helps everyone pull together once we return. We spend more waking hours in the office than we do in our own homes, so we endeavour to keep our work environment as comfortable as possible. I see no reason why the working environment shouldn’t be at least as pleasant as home.”

Clive Thomas, managing partner at Watkins & Gunn Solicitors

In the legal sector it is very important to switch off. There are numerous examples of people suffering from 'burnout' by getting into a long hours culture. This is increasingly the case with developments in technology that mean we are always contactable. We strongly believe in having a good work life balance. We encourage our staff to become involved in the local community by joining clubs, societies and associations. We have a well-being committee who promote healthy activities, such as lunch time walks and fun runs for the more active. We also have a Watkins & Funn committee to organise social events that can also help to raise morale and form strong friendships among the staff.

Terry Edgell, managing director, Premier Forest Group, Newport

Being a business owner I never switch off entirely from Premier and I am sure it doesn’t matter which owner, from which market sector, you talk to, the answer is probably the same. The benefit of new technology however is that if I choose to be in one of our 14 offices, or not, my business is totally visible and I can choose to be contactable. Gone are the days of returning from a day out of the office to 100 emails and a pile of letters to deal with. My phone gives me an APP with continuous company performance data by brand, CCTV footage of sites, access to emails that I can deal with whether sat on a beach or passenger in a car and for more detail an Ipad or laptop that can be sparked up with instant access anywhere in the world. So, I guess myself and some staff do engage outside of traditional hours, but that also ensures we have flexibility to balance work and family life, a prime example of this is that I was at my nine-year-old’s summer performance on Friday afternoon which was no problem to drop everything for (as my wife forgot to give me any notice), but I was answering ‘today’s big question’ at 6.30 on that evening on my kitchen table while my wife cooked tea and my son played outside with his friend in the garden - see perfect balance and everyone happy!

Andrew Tugwell, Acorn’s group operations director, Newport

As a service-orientated business we have to be flexible and ensure the support we provide is best designated to match the requirements of our clients. In recent years, primarily resulting from use of technology and communications, changing consumer behaviours and increasing international business, we have noticed working patterns and expectations shift, and therefore we find ourselves having to adapt accordingly. It means for some, boundaries between work and personal time can sometimes become blurred and so we encourage our colleagues to find a manageable balance. We like to think we’re fairly flexible as an employer and therefore staff know they can take time out if / when it may be needed. We also try to bring variety to the office environment; for example by engaging in charity / fundraising activity, which can help staff switch off for a bit. Ultimately I guess, people know when they need to stop looking at their emails or turn their mobiles off – if we sensed that anyone was becoming over-stretched or particularly stressed due to the hours they were working then we’d want to find a better solution for them. Acorn is in the business of people and we maintain we have the best people in the business – our performance therefore is wholly dependent on the health and well-being of those who work here.