The work-life balance: Workers, bosses see it differently

WASHINGTON — Do you often find yourself doing work, when you’re supposed to be enjoying personal time?

It’s something employers and employees seem to disagree on: 67 percent of human resources department people questioned in a study say they think their employees have a good work-life balance. But almost half of workers surveyed (45 percent) say they don’t have enough time each week to do personal things.

The 2015 Workplace Flexibility Study was conducted by the research group WorkplaceTrends.com and Career Arc — a HR technology company.

Also, the study found that more than half of companies surveyed plan to increase their spending this year on work flexibility programs.

Among employers that have work flexibility programs, 87 percent reported higher employee satisfaction; 71 percent saw increased productivity, and 65 percent said they have retained talent.

“Technology has expanded the 9-to-5 workday into the 24-7 workday, which has made it extremely difficult for employees to have personal time,” WorkplaceTrends.com Founder Dan Schawbel said in a statement.

“Companies are being forced to react to this work-life dilemma by investing more in their (flex) programs in 2015. In the future, every company will have a flexibility program, and those that don’t will lose the battle for the top talent.”

Michelle Basch

Michelle Basch is a reporter turned morning anchor at WTOP News.

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