More than half of UK workers do not feel they have a good work-life balance, and a quarter worry their mental and physical health is suffering because of long hours and overtime, with the run-up to Christmas often only making things worse, two surveys have suggested.
A poll of 1,500 UK workers for life insurance broker Reassured has concluded 56% of Britons do not have a good work life balance.
Long hours and a lack of good work-life balance was the second most popular reason for leaving a job (34%), just behind poor pay (37%), it added.
Almost 14% of respondents admitted to having had to work overtime during the week and on weekends to fulfil their job expectations, so missing out on family time and social events.
A further 11 % said they often cancelled personal plans because of work, something that became more common during the festive season, especially in sectors such as retail and marketing.
Those working in the media industry reported their work-life balance to be the most affected during key periods, such as Christmas, with 58% struggling to keep up with work demands.
Festive season stress
Recruitment and HR were the worst industries for work-life balance overall, with 15% of workers on average saying they were unhappy. These were followed by business, consulting and management (14%).
Six in 10 of those surveyed said this imbalance between work and personal life was negatively affecting their mental health, and 14% said their mental health worsened during key periods, such as Christmas.
The second poll, meanwhile, of 1,000 workers for telephone answering firm Moneypenny found 84% of UK workers felt pressure to work long hours and additional hours to meet job demands.
More than half (52%) of Britons worked overtime for more than two days per week, with a quarter of these workers not receiving any additional pay for their efforts.
When considering the average number of overtime days in a month, the worst offenders were law enforcement and security (12.6 days), recruitment and HR (12.2 days), and accountancy, banking, and finance (11.7 days), it said.
More than a quarter (26%) of respondents reported that working overtime had a negative effect on their physical health, while 23% said the same for their mental health.
One in six said long hours and working overtime had caused relationship issues, with one in 12 even admitting it had even led to a breakup.
Phil Jeynes, director of corporate strategy at Reassured, said of its poll: “Our findings show more needs to be done to support employees with workload, and we encourage people to be more open about their work life balance with their managers. Whilst a secure income is vital to protecting yourself and your family, wellbeing should always be a priority during your working life.”
Fiona Armstrong, chief people officer for Moneypenny, added on its survey: “Caring for your employees and managing overtime is a critical practice for any business leader. In a world where performance and productivity often dominate the conversation, remember that a well-rested, engaged, and content workforce is the true driving force behind success.”
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