Work has been one of the top priorities of most people for decades now. The advancement of technology has made everyone reachable at any given time, thereby reducing the ability for one to maintain an ideal work-life balance. In today’s day and age where jobs are scarce, people end up prioritizing work over leisure. Most may even think of leisure time as a luxury, which shouldn’t be the case.
Working remotely during Covid-19 blurred lines between work and leisure. Some had elevated stress levels and increased working hours. However, employees and companies have gradually realized the impact of burnout and have understood the importance of maintaining a personal life.
Post-pandemic, most people have reevaluated their priorities and attempt to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Take a look at the latest statistics on work life, showing you the status of current work-life balance worldwide, how flexible and remote work is taking over, and some tips that can come in handy for a better work-life balance.
Overview of Work life balance statistics
1. 9% of Americans mention freedom and independence including work-life balance as the source of meaning in their lives which is a 4% increase from the year 2017. (Pew Research Center)
2. As of August 2022, employee turnover in the US stands at 4.2 million. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
So, what are leaders feeling about this?
3. As per a survey of 1,850 people managers, 63% of respondents are thinking of quitting their jobs either due to a poor work-life balance or burnout. (UKG)
4. 98% of HR professionals were feeling an increased burnout at work over the last six months of 2021. (Workvivo)
5. 42% of women workers believe their career progression will be affected if they are not constantly available for work and so they cannot switch off. (Deloitte)
So, a healthy work-life balance is needed by people worldwide irrespective of age or gender. But how is the global scenario in the importance of work life and personal life?
6. In 2020, Italy topped the charts in the quality of work-life balance out of 38 OECD countries. (Statista)
Benefits of work-life balance stats
All this extra work must have you thinking that you are being extremely productive. However, that is not true. Now, let’s fiind out more about the importance of work-life balance.
1. 18% of women employees cited a lack of work-life balance as their main reason for leaving their previous jobs in a survey of 227 women employees. (Deloitte)
2. As per a survey of 700 professionals, 74% say that they are more energetic and productive working from home as opposed to going to the office. (Korn Ferry)
3. The CNBC Monkey Workforce Survey done in May 2020 showed that remote workers had a happiness index of 75/100 while it was 71/100 for those who continued going to their offices. (CNBC)
4. As per a February 2020 survey of 3,900 people, 84% believe that flexible schedules at work will help them manage their mental health. (Flexjobs)
5. The same survey also mentions that 67% believe that having flexible work will increase their intensity of exercise. (Flexjobs)
Remote work and work-life balance statistics
Most of us have been working from home since March 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, the perks of working from home won us over. However, working from the office or remotely became a deciding factor for a good work-life balance.
1. As per the Work Trend Index survey of over 30,000 employees, 73% say they want flexible remote work to continue. (Microsoft)
2. Remote work has become such a trend that 20.4% of local employers are now facing competition against companies offering remote jobs. (Glassdoor)
3. As per a survey conducted with over 15,000 respondents in 46 countries, 75% of GenZ and 76% of Millennials prefer hybrid or remote work. (Deloitte)
The same report mentions that people working remotely cite benefits like freedom to pursue other activities, more family time, and an easier way to get things done at work. So how much of the upcoming generation is working remotely and following a flexible schedule?
4. 49% of GenZ and 45% of Millennials say they are working remotely some of the time. (Deloitte)
5. 33% of GenZ and 39% of Millennials are able to save up money as remote workers. (Deloitte)
Now that it has been established how GenZ benefits more than Millennials from working remotely, would that be the same in terms of gender?
6. As per a survey of 5,000 women across 10 countries, 41% of women have been experiencing microaggressions in remote work as opposed to on-site and hybrid work. (Deloitte)
Health and work-life balance statistics
Mental health, burnout, and work productivity are interlinked to work-life balance. A study conducted by the University of South Australia clearly states that a person’s risk of depression increases by 300% due to poor psychological well-being in work life. Read on to understand the statistics on work-life balance related to health.
1. 81% of professional workers say that they are feeling more burnout now than at the start of the pandemic. (Korn Ferry)
2. As per Deloitte’s global survey, the cost to employers of poor mental health increased by 25% from 2019 due to labor turnover, absenteeism, and presenteeism. (Deloitte)
3. 46% of GenZ and 45% of Millennial workers feel burnout due to the demands of their work life. (Deloitte)
Younger employees are feeling work-life pressure, but in terms of gender, is the situation very different?
4. 53% of women employees in their work life have felt their stress levels rise within a year. (Deloitte)
So is flexible work the answer for working women?
5. 70% of women who have changed their working hours during the pandemic believe that their stress levels are higher than a year ago. Increased time spent on household chores and taking care of family are possible reasons. (Deloitte)
Work-life balance stats: Employees take
To get better productivity at work and in their personal life, employees talk about considering work life.
1. Out of 700 professionals, 32% say that they will not be going to the office at all. (Korn Ferry)
2. 49% of workers say they would not be taking up a job if the company mandates employees to work at the office. (Korn Ferry)
3. 36% of workers say that they will likely go for a different job soon as the pandemic helped them re-evaluate their work needs. (Korn Ferry)
4. 32% of GenZ and 39% of Millennial employees say they are staying in their workplace based on a good work-life balance. (Deloitte)
5. 47% of women employees say that they have a poor work-life balance. (Deloitte)
Frequently asked questions
Is work-life balance important?
Work-life balance was the most important professional benefit for 33% of respondents as compared to compensation, advancement, and stability, as per a survey of over 10,000 employees. (Comparably)
An average employee works how many hours per week?
41% of employees work over 45 hours a week. (Gallup)
Do Americans have a work-life balance?
The U.S. ranked the lowest for the quality of their work-life balance coming in 13th out of 38 OECD countries in 2020. (Statista)
What is the productivity per day for an average employee?
An employee has an average of 2 hours and 53 minutes of productivity per day as per a survey of over 1,900 UK employees. The other time is spent on checking social media, reading the news, and taking breaks among other things. (Voucher Cloud)
Final Thoughts
Companies can meet their employees halfway. This can be done by companies by caring enough about their employees and ensuring that they can establish a healthy work-life balance.
Numbers prove that despite long working hours and always being available, employees may not get their best work done. On the contrary, it impacts their mental health terribly. Achieving a work-life balance helps both companies and employees not only save some dollars but enable better productivity and enjoyment at work.
