Source | www.weforum.org | Dave Cook | Anna Rudnicka | Joseph Newbold
- As the trend for remote working persists, a survey suggests that people are struggling to maintain a work-life balance.
- People are often working longer hours because they’re grateful they still have a job or work-life boundaries have collapsed.
- Work-life balance is essential for mental health, physical health and long-term economic success and must be prioritised, write three academics.
Before the pandemic, a common objection to remote working was the suspicion that staff would disengage and productivity levels would drop. But recent evidence suggests the opposite is true – working from home effectively means working more. In the UK, for example, many employees are reportedly putting in an extra two hours a day. It’s even longer in the US.
Our survey also indicates that feeling fortunate to still be in work, the collapse of work-life boundaries, and the fear of being under surveillance from employers, have all led to people working harder for longer.