A recent report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found that workers in the technology sector, such as IT support, are doing over seven hours of unpaid work a week.

General secretary of the TUC Brendan Barber said the recession is bringing new pressures for those working in the IT industry and that although it may be seen by workers as such, unpaid work is not always useful in overcoming the economic climate.

He continued: "When people understandably fear for their jobs employers still have a responsibility to organise work properly and ensure their workplaces don't get gripped by a long hours culture."

The longer hours, Mr Barber states, can affect the health of workers and as a result, their productivity can become much lower. This, he adds, highlights the necessity for a solid work-life balance in the current climate.

Earlier this month, a womenintechnology.co.uk poll found that female IT workers are doing longer hours due to the "glass ceiling" present in the business.

In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were guaranteed response times and allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues.