Work-life balance is something that millions of people try to achieve. Some can balance their lives with ease, while others cannot seem to master it. Do you want to know how you measure up to others in balancing your work life and personal life?
In terms of work-life balance, 94% of service professionals in the U.S. spend over 50 hours working per week, while many of these people work on the weekends. Forty-eight percent of Americans consider themselves to be workaholics, but 72% of people consider work-life balance when job-searching.
This article will cover some of the main statistics on work-life balance, as well as what work-life balance is and how you can achieve it yourself. Let’s dive into it.
What Is Work-Life Balance?
Work-life balance refers to how one manages both their work and their personal life. For example, someone with a healthy work-life balance prioritizes personal life (like their family) and work.
In essence, if one has a good work-life balance, they will not let work run their lives, and will devote specific amounts of time to their work and loved ones.
While a healthy work-life balance is ideal, many people find that it is hard to achieve. A sudden career change, heavy work duties, increased responsibilities, or children may jeopardize a good balance.
Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?
Work-life balance is critical for several reasons.
- Employees who do not have a work-life balance tend to burn out more quickly than those with a balanced schedule, but those with a healthy balance have more motivation and are more productive at work.
- Having a healthy work-life balance is essential for one’s health and well-being. Working over 40 hours a week can be stressful, but it can be even more stressful to try and balance family life with demanding job responsibilities.
- Having a healthy work-life balance will also give you more time to spend with your family. You will also have more time to do things you love, such as fun hobbies like painting or hiking.
Overall, having a work-life balance will improve almost every aspect of your life.
60% of US workers say they do not have boundaries between their work responsibilities and their personal lives.
US Service Professionals Spend Over 50 Hours Working per Week
One of the most alarming statistics is that 94% of workers in the professional service industry work over 50 hours a week.
A regular work week is about 40 hours, and workers with a forty-hour workweek will typically work a maximum of eight hours per day. However, most American service professionals work more than eight hours a day and end up working 50 hours per week.
This fact is alarming for two reasons.
- Having a longer workday lowers the time workers can exercise and spend with family.
- They are less likely to eat healthy meals since they can be time-consuming to cook since many workers clocking in over 50 hours a week will order take-out.
Many Americans Work on Weekends
Not only do Americans tend to work longer hours, but they also take their work home with them. Many Americans work on the weekends on top of working longer workweeks, and for many people, the work never stops.
Even if you are good at your job, everybody needs periods of rest. For millions of people, the weekend is a time to relax and rejuvenate, but when employees bring their work home with them, they are more likely to burn out much more quickly than others.
48% of Americans Believe That They Are Workaholics
This statistic may not come as a surprise, but 48% of Americans consider themselves to be workaholics. Thousands of workers in the U.S. will spend over four hours working for free every week. These same workers will also spend the same amount of time worrying about work.
72% of People Say That While Looking for a Job, Work-Life Balance Is Something They Consider
According to Statista, 72% of people looking for a job believe that work-life balance is an important factor to consider.
As more potential employees consider work-life balance when choosing a job, human resource departments are prioritizing how they effectively manage their team.
If the HR departments of companies make it a priority to help their employees manage hours, more potential employees will want to work there.
77% of Americans Who Work Full-Time Have Experienced Burnout at Their Jobs
Out of 1,000 respondents on a work-life balance survey, 77% reported that they had experienced burnout at their current jobs at least once. What is even more worrisome is that half of the respondents admitted that they had experienced work burnout more than once.
Most respondents noted that burnout was a result of unmanageable stress in the workplace, which then leads to a lower quality of work and eventually burnout.
190 Billion Dollars Has Been Spent To Address Both the Physical and Psychological Effects of Burnout
Ready for another alarming statistic? Around 190 billion dollars has been spent every year to address the physical and psychological effects of burnout in the workplace.
Work burnout is on the rise in America, so much so that healthcare providers and psychologists are paying more attention to it. The symptoms of work burnout are:
- Feelings of exhaustion or energy depletion
- Feelings of negativity
- Distancing from the job
- Reduced work productivity
According to FlexJobs, About 79% of Workers Believe That a Flexible Job Increases Work-Life Balance
According to data collected by FlexJobs, 79% of workers agree that flexible jobs promote better work-life balance and less stressful workdays.
Flexible jobs give employees more room to choose their own hours or decide where they want to work. For instance, if a job allows employees to work from home, that will save employees time on the commute and give them more time to cook healthy meals or spend time with family.
How Do You Achieve Work-Life Balance?
Now that we have looked at a few essential statistics on work-life balance let’s take a look and see how you can achieve work-life balance.
There are a few tips to keep in mind when creating a healthy work-life balance.
1. Make sure to prioritize your health:
No matter how important your job is, your health should come first. Even with a busy schedule, you should always make time to take care of yourself.
2. Find a job you are passionate about:
Another factor that will influence work-life balance is how you feel about your job. If you are passionate about your job, you will be more productive and less stressed about your workload.
3. Be realistic about achieving work-life balance:
Everyone would love to leave work in the early afternoon to spend time with their family or have some downtime, but that is not realistic. If you re