Since the 1920s the office-based, five-day, 40-hour work week has been the norm across the Western world. But now there are signs that the tide is turning. There is an ever-increasing demand for alternative working patterns, interestingly transcending age differences, in a bid to achieve a more favourable work-life balance.

Changing attitudes, changing demands, changing roles

We may be in the midst of a cost of living crisis, but it is work-life balance, not pay, that ranks as the number 1 factor for current job seekers, having risen from 8th most important as recently as just a decade ago (Lenovo, 2022). This is in part due to an increasing demand for greater flexibility in working hours and patterns; the flexibility to work remotely (or at least in part, via hybrid working) is now important to 54% of UK employees, an increase from just 21% ten years ago (Lenovo, 2022).

It isn’t just where people work, but how long for, that is really starting to change shape. In the largest scale trial of its kind to date, from June to December 2022 in the UK, 61 companies (and around 2,900 employees) took part in a four-day working week pilot (Autonomy, 2023). Pariticpating companies recorded an average 57% reduction in staff turnover, 39% reduction in employee stress, 71% reduction in employee burnout, and a 35% increase in revenue. It comes as little surprise then that 92% of participating companies are continuing with the four-day week beyond the trial (Autonomy, 2023). Many UK employees (and readers) will hope this is a sign of things to come on a wider national scale.

Currently UK employees work, on average, 42.0 hours per week - the highest weekly average across all EU countries. UK employees work an average 1.8 hours more per week than the EU average of 40.2 hours, which equates to two and a half weeks more per year than the average EU worker (TUC, 2019). And more hours worked doesn’t necessarily equate to more work done: Denmark (the EU country with the shorthest hours - an average 37.7) records 23.5% higher productivity than the UK (TUC, 2019).

The average UK worker also commutes for 30 minutes each way. This is 5 minutes longer than the EU average of 25 minutes (European Commission, 2022), which over the course of the working year is an additional 43 hours. 49% of UK employees admit to working unpaid overtime every week (Ciphr, 2023). According to a CharlieHR study, 40% of UK employees also admit to working more on evenings and weekends than they did before the pandemic (this rises to 51% in London), while 45% of UK employees report feeling like they have to reply to work messages outside of work hours. 82% of UK employees do not take their full lunch break entitlement, and 2 in every 3 regularly eat their lunch at their desks (StandOut).

Longer working hours, longer commutes, higher work pressures - these are all factors that drastically increase the risk of employee burnout. The TUC have thus signalled their support for the four-day week movement, whilst also calling for “four additional bank holidays a year, curbs on unpaid overtime, and stronger rights to flexible working”. It is hoped and expected that such measures would improve work-life balance for UK employees, who can already be seen taking matters into their own hands…

20% of employees in the year up to June 2022 who left their job did so principally to improve their work-life balance, while 48% of movers in that same period report better work-life balance in their new role (CIPD, 2022). Interestingly, just 22% of those aged 18–24 say their new role has better work–life balance, while this figure raises to 62% for over 65s. This suggests that work-life balance becomes more important for employees as they near retirement, while work-life balance is not necessarily the top priority for younger generations, who instead place greater importance on career progression (90%) and seeing evidence from firms of positive ESG characteristics and wider mental health benefits (Lenovo, 2022).

Impacts of work-life balance

Consistent with our own anonymised data, Glassdoor report that 52% of UK employees admit a poor work-life balance, whereby work life regularly eats into personal life (Glassdoor, 2021). This is a huge risk factor for employee burnout, with 69% of UK employees experiencing burnout within the last two years, and 80% of these citing poor work-life balance as the primary cause of their burnout (LumApps, 2022). Whether it’s lack of time itself, or lack of quality time (due to burnout, inability to ‘switch off’, etc.), poor work-life balance also affects relationships outside of work, particularly family life.

Employees who are burned out and unhappy as a result of poor work-life balance not only suffer themselves, but so does their employer. It has been estimated that poor mental health costs UK employers £56bn annually (Deloitte, 2022). With 28% of employers citing poor work-life balance as the main reason for their reduced productivity (StandOut), we can safely assume that the cost of poor work-life balance to UK employers is in the billions of pounds, not only through reduced productivity, but through higher presenteeism, absenteeism, sickness and staff turnover rates.

Improving UK work-life balance

Here are some recommendations to employers from Mental Health Foundation to improve employee work-life balance, primarily through culture change:

• Encourage a culture of openness so employees can speak up if they’re under too much pressure

• Train managers to spot stress and poor work-life balance

• Offer flexible and remote working where possible

• Encourage breaks, whether that’s during the working day or by using annual leave

• Regularly review employee workload to make sure it’s achievable

• Give employees time off to volunteer

• Increase support for parents and carers, so they’re not forced to leave

• Allow employees to attend counselling and support services during working hours as they would for other medical appointments

• Encourage stress-relieving activities such as lunchtime exercise or relaxation classes

• Ask employees what would improve their work-life balance

While the onus to improve employee work-life balance must be on employers, there are also a number of ways employees can maximise this balance themselves:

• Create a wind-down ritual from work - whether this is meditation or mindfulness exercises, physical exercise, cooking, or listening to music or a podcast if you’re commuting on public transport, this 15-20 minute wind-down gives you some time and space to signal to your brain that it’s time to switch modes and go down a gear, allowing you to really settle and calm the mind and body

• Daily physical exercise - while lighter exercise is beneficial after work to help wind down, more vigorous exercise (raising heart rate), particularly done before starting work, provides a sense of achievement and acts as a motivational push for a more productive working day. The post-exercise endorphin rush, or so-called “runner’s high”, has been showed to help reduce stress, relieve pain, and improve overall sense of wellbeing

• Prioritise daily tasks in a to-do list - ticking off the most critical, anxiety-inducing responsibilities earlier in the day feeds productivity to continue quality work throughout the day. Finishing work (and potentially at an earlier time, after a more productive day) with a stronger sense of accomplishment provides peace of mind, allows you to better shut off from work and enjoy your personal life without work looming over you

• Plan annual leave in advance - this signals a stronger commitment so you’re more likely to hold yourself to this time off, and make the most of it. It also allows more time for managers and colleagues to plan around it and set tasks and expectations accordingly

• Donating time and expertise into community - in giving something back to your community, e.g., volunteering at a local food bank or becoming a Samaritan, you gain a sense of reward and purpose that goes beyond the door of your office or home

Closing remarks

With a huge uptake in hybrid and remote working, for obvious reasons, the COIVD-19 pandemic may have acted as the catalyst for UK workers seeking a more favourable work-life balance. There are calls for the four-day week to be established as the new norm, additional bank holidays, greater control on unpaid overtime, and stronger rights to flexible working hours and patterns.

At the management level, there is much more that can be done to improve workplace culture, ease work pressures and change attitudes around work-life balance. At the individual level, although limited, there are measures that people can take to squeeze the most of their current circumstances, or indeed seek more favourable conditions.

The signs are that the tide is turning on work-life balance and employee demands, and not just from the younger generations. This is not something management can just shrug off as so-called “woke nonsense”, but that if businesses want to thrive, or even survive, they must start to take changing employee expectations seriously.

How we can help at 87%

At 87% we understand the importance of work-life balance to mental wellbeing. We can help you to measure work-life balance and job satisfaction across your organisation, with the ability to measure changes over time and between teams and regions. With our Employee Wellbeing Platform you can harness real (anonymised) data from employee self-assessment to uncover which audiences report the poorest and most critical levels of work-life balance. Through our tailored recommendations you will learn how to address these issues in your organisation. Have a chat with us today to see how we can help you to help your people.