Working hard doesn't make up for an unhappy home life

Workaholics who try to make up for an unhappy home life by chaining themselves to a desk are deluding themselves, according to a new study.

Researchers investigated the idea that employees who are dissatisfied in their personal lives seek 'compensatory rewards' through work - but found this is hardly ever successful.

In a detailed survey with more than 10,000 people across thirty European countries, the study found there is an overall link between job and life satisfaction - especially for the main earners in households.

However, this would not extend to anyone attempting to use work to compensate for unhappiness in their personal life.

Professor Yannis Georgellis, from Kingston University business school, London, said: "The life and work domains are definitely correlated. Happiness at home affects your job and vice versa.

"Although there is a clear 'spillover' effect from one area of life to the other, there is no evidence that people who are very unhappy at home will feel 'compensated' by work in any way."