Half of workers in Ireland feel pressured to work outside their set working hours, according to a recent survey.
I have told in 10 workers in Ireland that they can leave work at the front door but the other half of the working population is struggling with a real or perceived pressure to work outside their set working hours.
Of those struggling to separate “work time” from “life time”, a quarter said they either go to work early and / or stay late to meet the demands of their job.
The findings are part of Taxback.com’s All-Ireland Employee Survey, which examined the attitudes of 1,200 employees across the country on their work / life balance.
The survey found that employer flexibility around hours and location is the number one consideration for 57% of female workers.
The director of the employee wellness service at Taxback.com said the results are similar to the survey conducted before the 2020 pandemic.
Barry Cahill said: “The survey shows a 50:50 split in how workers feel about their professional responsibilities, with one half feeling an expectation of working overtime or performing work duties outside normal office hours, and the other feel very clear about professional boundaries., and to be able to leave work problems firmly at the front door. ”
“We did the same survey in 2020 (pre-Covid) with very similar results – at that time 47 pct felt pressure to tend to work duties outside their normal hours.
“So, given the transformation in our work patterns as a result of Covid, it is interesting to see that this attitude has not only emerged as a result of the pandemic and our shift to teleworking – it is something we have clearly struggled with. with as labor force for much longer.
“This is a surprising result in some respects, as one can assume that it will be more difficult to switch off from work while working remotely than it would be when working from an office – mainly due to of that physical separation between work and home. “
Mr Cahill said achieving a healthy work / life balance is the “holy grail” for workers around the world.
He said employers cannot expect workers to be contactable at all times and employees to learn to disconnect from work to recharge.
“In Ireland, the reality seems to be that it can be difficult to step away from the responsibilities and demands of the workplace, and to ‘switch off’ from thinking about it when we do get home,” he said. said.
Maybe people should now, more than ever before, be able to walk away at the end of the day, or even before they start work, to take time for themselves and let their minds be quiet about the business of the workday. .
“While it’s easier said than done, it’s important that we all move towards flexible solutions that address stress-inducing factors at work.”