A company is urging firms to keep their employees happy after figures showed the UK now works the longest and least flexible hours in Europe.

According to the Trades Union Congress, one in six people now work more than 60 hours a week.

Bibby Factors Northeast says the issue of keeping Britain's workforce happy, motivated and productive has never been so important.

Nick Hart, director of Bibby Factors, said: "Don't have 'us' and 'them' - treat employees as partners in the business and keep them informed about business performance and key decisions likely to affect them.

"Build team spirit - communicate by holding regular team meetings. Be sociable, and also celebrate success - praise staff when they are doing a great job.

"Trust is key. Also, don't be afraid to take a more relaxed approach to work.

"Be flexible - work is not the be all and end all, and staff have lives outside the office. Try to accommodate your employees if occasionally they need to leave an hour early to let the plumber in.

"Recognise that not everyone is driven by a salary and that offering flexible working hours, encouraging staff to take a lunch break, can go a long way to keeping employees happy and motivated.

"Enhance the work environment and also foster a learning culture - encourage staff at every level to learn new skills.

"Staff motivation is one of the most important factors in managing people. Owners and managers need to do a much better job of enhancing the work environment and focusing on how to make staff's daily lives better."