62% of women have work-life balance, says report

Some 62% of women in the UK claim they can meet their career goals and still  devote sufficient attention to their personal lives, according to research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute, a division of Kenexa, a global provider of business solutions for human  resources. 

In the study, which asked 1,000 workers for their opinions of work-life  balance, 56% of women said their company supports employees’ efforts  to balance work and family/personal responsibilities.  

“Traditionally, women play a large role in managing their family  responsibilities and, therefore, they are likely to feel pressure in trying to  balancing both work and family demands, said Brenda Kowske,  research consultant at the Kenexa Research Institute.

“Working in an  organisation that supports work-life balance has a significant,  favourable impact on how employees rate their pride in their  organisation, their willingness to recommend it as a place to work and  their overall job satisfaction. Female employees who report having a  balance between work and personal responsibilities state a much lower  intention to leave their organisation.” 

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Experiencing work-life balance is defined as having the ability to meet  career goals, while devoting attention to family/personal life and working  for an organisation that supports employees’ efforts to balance work  and family/personal responsibilities.  The study found that women in the UK are more likely to achieve  balance when their stress level at work is reasonable; they enjoy – in  fact get excited about – their work; they feel there is a promising future  for them at the organisation; their employer values their contribution and  they are encouraged to participate in decisions that affect their work.  

Brenda Kowske said: “It is encouraging to see that women can find a  balance by bringing home the bacon and scrambling the eggs, but  some organisations can do more. Almost half of the women in the UK  say they don’t receive adequate support from their employer.  Organisations that build a supportive infrastructure and processes stand  to attract and retain talented employees and also strengthen their  marketplace advantage.”