John Lennoin once sang: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
And when it comes to work-life balance, this certainly rings true. In years to come, will even the most dedicated of us look back and be glad for the hours we spent getting projects over the line, in place of spending time with friends and family, for example?
Research published this week by Travel Counsellors found that work-life balance has now overtaken higher pay as the most important factor for UK employees when considering moving roles. When searching for a new position, 43% of respondents said a good work-life balance was top of their list of must haves, closely followed by flexible working hours, as cited by 35%. Better salary and benefits followed in third place, favoured by 31%.
While the increase in remote and hybrid working since the Covid-19 pandemic has, in theory, improved work-life balance for many employees, for others, the lack of boundary between work and home means it can be easy to regularly continue to work beyond their contracted hours or to be ‘always on’.
However, according to research among 1,500 workers by online job search platform JobLeads, 59% of respondents said improved work-life balance was the biggest benefit of working remotely.
There can be little doubt that achieving a good work-life balance is beneficial for both employees and employers, who typically benefit from a happier, less stressed workforce.
I can personally attest to this. Since my youngest child started school last year, I have been asked on numerous occasions by well-meaning friends and family whether I intend to return to full-time work. While this is certainly something I have considered, in all honesty, my non-working day each week is a chance for me to catch up with life admin, run errands and generally keep on top of all those things that would leave me feeling overwhelmed if I had to try to fit them around a working day. It may not sound like the most exciting use of a day off but, as a busy working parent, I find it vital for my mental wellbeing. Without the ability to achieve such a good work-life balance, I’d inevitably be distracted at times, feeling pressured to try to juggle personal tasks around my work.
Encouraging even the most dedicated of employees to actvely pursue a better work-life balance, therefore, could pay dividends for all concerned.
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
@DebbieLovewell
