FEATURE INSIGHT
Work-life balance
Jerome Smail, freelance journalist, presents the issues, research findings and possible solutions
I t’s no secret that dedication, integrity and conscientiousness are key attributes of people working in payroll. Professionals at all levels in the industry pride themselves on a job well done and seeing a task through to the end. But this can cause or exacerbate an all too common problem: poor work-life balance. Of course, it’s an issue not restricted to payroll. According to research by human resources (HR) and payroll technology provider ADP, almost a third (30%) of UK workers feel that they have a poor work- life balance in their current role. What’s more, problems at work are bleeding into home life for employees too – with UK workers suffering in particular. The ADP survey, conducted in April 2018, polled 2,518 employees across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK, and found an average of one third (33%) of European workers felt a bad day at work affected their personal life – but the proportion rises to 38% for the UK alone. Jeff Phipps, managing director and general manager for ADP UK and Ireland, believes technology is partly to blame. With the ubiquity of mobile phones, tablets and laptops and 24/7 access to work emails, there is a temptation – and sometimes even an expectation – for
employees to check on work matters outside of office hours. He says: “The rise of flexible working, and the widespread usage of workplace technologies to support it, has brought many benefits, yet organisations also risk encouraging an ‘always on’ working culture. Technology has increasingly blurred the lines between work and personal lives.” The figures appear to back up Phipps’s opinion. According to research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), published in January 2018, 59% of 1,037 managers surveyed consistently check their emails outside of normal working hours, adding an estimated 44 working days to schedules per year. Sir Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, says: “Long office hours, combined with the always-on expectation to answer emails, are eating into home life, leaving managers with little blurred the lines between work and personal lives... Technology has increasingly
chance of respite and increasing stress levels.” However, it’s not just employees who suffer – it’s the organisation as a whole. Phipps says: “Employees faced with this working style are likely to become less engaged, and this type of working may even have a negative impact on productivity.” Employees themselves are rarely profiting from such working practices. More than half of UK workers (51%) who work additional hours outside their contract do not get paid overtime by their employer, according to research by job search engine Jobrapido. The study, carried out between November and December 2018, also revealed that 80% of the UK workers who do not get paid overtime admitted “it is just part of my job”, or “I could jeopardise my chances of a promotion if I ask for overtime”, or “I am too scared to rock the boat by asking for additional money”. The remaining 20% stated that despite not being paid, they are given extra holiday instead. However, the Jobrapido research also provided further evidence of the pernicious ‘always on’ culture. Six in ten employees admitted that even on holiday they check their mobile phone or emails at least once a day for work, with half of
46
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | May 2019 | Issue 50
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker