According to research from global management consultancy, Hay Group, UK employers are failing to help employees achieve a good work-life balance.
The research, which was collected using data from Hay Group’s global employee opinion database comprising more than 600,000 UK employees, found 39% of employees feel that their professional and domestic life is ‘not balanced’.
It also discovered that 51% think their employer is ‘sensitive’ to the relationship between work and home, a 6% drop in just one year.
Last year only 50% of employees reported that there were enough people available in their department to complete the work required and consequently, 31% of employees do not think the amount of work expected of them is reasonable, according to the research.
The research also revealed that 27% of employees in organisations across the world that do not support a positive work-life balance plan to leave within the next two years.
By contrast, in companies that support employees in achieving a reasonable balance between their work and personal lives, only 17% of employees are looking for opportunities elsewhere.
Commenting on the findings, Mark Royal, Senior Principal at Hay Group, said:
“Employees are working longer hours with more erratic schedules than ever before.
“To ensure staff are adequately supported and to drive engagement and commitment, introducing tactical solutions like telecommuting options or flexible work schedules, while helpful, will not be enough to successfully address these mounting concerns.”
Royal continued:
“Organisations must develop solutions to enable their workforce and think strategically about which key roles need to be supplemented from the outside.
“Those that don’t address these issues may see their high performing and high potential employees either burn out or walk out.”
