We're paying a high price for long hours
But they warn it can be disruptive to family relationships and workers' health.
The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Better Life Index found about 14 per cent of Australians work very long hours each week.
A gender breakdown shows 21 per cent of Australian men work more than 50 hours a week, compared with 6 per cent of women.
Australians ranked fourth for long hours worked among 34 OECD nations.
Turkey ranked No. 1, with almost half its population working more than 50 hours a week. Mexico and Israel followed. The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Russia had the best work-life balance with only 1 or 2 per cent of employees working very long hours.
TELL US: Do you work more than 50 hours a week?
The index finds working hours have fallen in Australia, and a number of other countries since 1995, but suggests this could be driven by the impact of the financial crisis on employment.
In Australia, research shows men are still more likely to be in full-time work and professional or managerial positions than women.
The OECD index found men tend to take on more work after they marry and have children, while the opposite is true for women.
Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation chief executive Warwick Marsh said his experience showed fathers worked longer hours than single men, but all men derived much of their identity from their employment.
He warned men who worked very long hours often ended up "tired and disengaged from their children".
Scott Way, an organisational psychologist with accounting association BDO, said he knew of people who logged up to 80 hours a week, mostly in corporate firms or government.
This could be because of pressure from employers to "do more ... with less" or because workers were motivated in a job they enjoyed.
He encouraged firms and employees to be efficient with their time and focus on key tasks for their role.
Source: www.news.com.au