It is an old saying but never has it been more relevant in the light of depressing new figures which reveal more people than ever are burning the midnight oil at work.

One in six employees -- almost four million -- are working at least 48 hours a week, while more than one million people regularly toil 11 or 12 hours a day.

These are the results of a TUC investigation which highlighted the "national disgrace" of Britain's long-hours culture.

The average working week in this country is now 43.6 hours compared with a European average of 40.3 and limits of just 35 in France.

It is a worrying trend which not only threatens the health of the individual, but the break up of families -- something recognised at a recent Bolton seminar on "work-life balance" held at the Reebok Stadium.

At the seminar Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, urged employers to adapt to the needs of their workforce.

And she suggested that firms which were flexible could reap the benefits in recruitment and retaining the best employees.

As a result of the seminar Bolton Council has decided to take the lead in encouraging employers to be more "family friendly". Its Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership is now distributing information packs on how it can help businesses to improve their work-life balance.

The aim is to show employers they can get more from their staff by not insisting they put in hour after hour.

A greater flexibility, the Partnership claims, leads to lower levels of staff sickness and higher productivity.

But what has caused this greater emphasis on putting in longer hours at the office?

Professor of Psychology Cary Cooper, deputy vice chancellor at UMIST, said the longer working hours were part of a "gradual process as we begin to Americanise the British workforce".

He explained: "Hours are becoming a big issue because over the last two decades more women have gone to work. Two thirds are full working families in this country with the majority of women working full time.

"If both partners are working long hours it will have a bad effect on health and the family. But in addition, it is worth noting that the divorce rate increase we have seen in recent years is not unrelated.

"Employers think working longer hours makes staff somehow more efficient. There is no research that shows working between 45 to 60 hours improves efficiency. In fact it is common sense that it does not.

"It is horrendous to think one in 10 people is working 60 hour weeks. These are the figures from union members, what about those not covered by a union?

"You get managers thinking you are committed if you are constantly in the office rather than thinking what a silly sod for arriving early and staying late."

And Professor Cooper says the solution lies with new technology.

He explained: "We should be taking new technology and allowing it to give us greater flexibility. There is no reason for example why journalists can not work part of the time at home, filing stories through computers. Insurance people could do similar, as could many others. Yet we are not doing it. Instead, despite all the new technology we are encouraging people to remain in the office longer.

"If a person genuinely wants to work longer hours then fine, if a person feels obliged to work longer hours it is not fine, and if a person is forced to work longer hours, again not fine. In fact, after a couple of weeks, it is irrelevant what the motives are for working the longer hours because he or she will still become ill.

"It is not rocket science, just common sense."

His words provide a chilling echo to the warning sent out by TUC general secretary John Monks yesterday.

He said: "Britain's long hours culture is a national disgrace. It leads to stress, ill health and family strains."

Mary MacLeod, chief executive of the National Family and Parenting Institute, added: "Every day we see headlines blaming parents for not having time for their children, meanwhile parents in the UK are having to work the longest hours in Europe to make ends meet, returning home stressed and exhausted."

That stress manifests itself not only on an individual's health or family, but on society as a whole. Surely, the higher rate of road rage and office rage are not unconnected. Women drinking more alcohol, and gangs of young professionals out on an increasing number drinking binges can not simply be coincidental.

Mr Monks points to the vicious circle most workers are forced into -- low pay, low productivity and long hours, or over-worked managers trapped behind an ever growing in-tray. There is a feeling that if they do not deal with it, no one else will.

But until bosses accept their workforce will be more productive if they are kept content, motivated and above all, healthy, then it appears a sizeable number of employees will continue to feel obliged to live to work.