A study conducted of 2,000 people, found that:
Only 3 in 10 Brits are happy with their work-life balance
This study also found that the ideal work-life split would be 43% work and 57% life, however the average Brit experiences a work-life balance of 45% work and 55% life.
According to the Mayo Clinic, overworking and long hours are contributing to:
- Fatigue, which is affecting our focus and productivity
- Poor health, from stress and neglecting healthy habits
- Negative impacts on relationships, due to neglecting prioritsing this time over working
A study by the UCL found that, compared to people who don’t work overtime, those who work 3 to 4 hours longer that a normal 7 hour working day, have a 60% higher risk of heart-related problems.
According to UCL, consistently working overtime is also associated with:
- Increased neck and muscle discomfort
- Higher on-the-job injury rates
- Unhealthy weight gain
- Increased liklihood of smoking
- Higher rates of alcohol consumption
So, what steps can we take to improve our work life balance?
- Make sure you are using your holiday days and taking breaks from work
- Stop taking work home with you unless unavoidable – try and leave work at work
- Learn to say no. Sometimes we simply need to learn to say no if we simply physically and mentally cannot take on any more work
- Make sure you have a lunch break. If you can, take yourself away from your desk and eat your lunch elsewhere or go for a walk. Most people don’t get paid for their lunch break so use this time for you
- Prioritse yourself and your health. Sometimes putting our self first can be one of the hardest things to do but when it’s affecting our health and mentality we need to start priortising ourselves
- Set boundaries. This can include not replying to work emails during your out of office hours, not using your weekend to try and catch up with work and leaving work at a certain time
7. Schedule in family / me time. By making dedicated time for your family or personal hobbies you will be more likely to stick to to it
8. Ask for help. We seem to struggle to ask for help, because many people view it as a weakness, but we also can’t be expected to perform miracles either. Ask your line manager whether you can have any flexibility on your deadlines or whether you can share a project with another member of your team. Don’t let yourself get burned out by trying to do everything
9. Prioritise your most urgent tasks. By making sure your most urgent tasks are dealt with first, it will help to prevent needing to work longer hours or bringing home work with you. Non urgent things can probably wait until the next day
10. Prioritise getting good sleep. A lack of sleep has been proven to affect our performance at work, our ability to concentrate and decrease our memory. In turn, these factors are going to result in a poor performance at work which leads to decreased productivity, increased workload and missing deadlines, which can ultimately affect our work-life balance
11. Ask if your can work remotely or have the option to work hybrid. Many people can struggle with trying to balance work with child commitments and housework etc.
12. Avoid discussing work at home. Sometimes we come home and need to let a few things out from our day, but try to not let work become the main thing you talk about at home, give yourself a proper break from thinking and speaking about work outside of your working hours
