High-earners are running their personal lives from the office because long hours leave them with little free time, research has claimed.

Fewer than one in five people earning more than £50,000 devote their entire working day to their job, the report said. Instead, they take time out to organise their social lives, shop online and sort out their finances.

Young high-earners are most likely to conduct their personal lives from the office, with just 11 per cent saying they focused entirely on their job while at work, compared with 27 per cent among the over-55s, according to Lloyds TSB Personal Banking Service.

Four out of ten people admitted organising their social life from the office, using work time to phone or email friends, while a similar proportion sorted out their finances.

Almost two-thirds of those questioned said they had booked doctor's or dentist's appointments from the office, and more than a third had organised for builders, plumbers or electricians to visit their home.

About a third of high-earners said they had booked a holiday at work and just over a quarter have used office time to shop online.

With 48 per cent of those questioned working more than 41 hours a week, many also paid people to do their day-to-day chores.

More than 40 per cent of high-earners said they paid for a cleaner, while 36 per cent had a gardener, 27 per cent paid to have their laundry done, and 13 per cent admitted to paying someone to do their washing up.

Mark Cheshire, managing director of Lloyds TSB Premier Banking Service, said: "We have all heard of people taking work home but this report suggests the reverse is now also true.

"High-earners are compensating for the long hours they spend in the office by using work time for personal admin in order to 'buy back' some free time in the evening.

"It is not surprising the service culture is alive and well in the UK, as high-earners pay their way to more time."

Wednesday September 17, 2003