Wednesday, June 08, 2005
[IWS] UK: WORK-LIFE BALANCE & EMPLOYEE TURNOVER (Watson Wyatt Survey) [8 June 2005]
IWS Documented News Service
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Institute for Workplace Studies Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 Director, IWS News Bureau
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Watson Wyatt (UK)
Is work-life balance a driver for employee turnover? [8 June 2005]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=14734
UK, June 8, 2005 - Four out of five employees in the UK say that work-life balance considerations play a crucial role in their decision to stay with or leave their current employer, according to research from Watson Wyatt.
Watson Wyatt's WorkUK Survey conducted from a representative sample of 3,000 private sector workers in the UK found that over 40 per cent of employees are actively considering finding a new job with a different employer, and nearly 80 per cent of employees believe work-life balance to be a very important consideration, if not the key consideration, in deciding to leave for a new job.
"A certain level of turnover can always be expected, indeed it is often perceived as healthy," said Jake Outram, a consultant at Watson Wyatt. "But while it is unlikely that all of the 40 per cent of employees considering changing jobs will actually do so, our research demonstrates that many employers may be neglecting a key factor affecting their employees' attitudes to staying in their positions. It is therefore important that employers understand how their employees, and in particular their high-performers, perceive their work-life balance.'
The Watson Wyatt research also found that the concern with work-life balance is not limited to employees within specific job levels. The response to this issue is almost identical for managers and non-managers.
"Although not a new issue, work-life balance has again been given prominence due to the ongoing debate on the EU working hours' directive," said Jake Outram. "Our research demonstrates the importance that employees place on achieving a sensible work-life balance, and it is evident that employers must focus on measuring the levels of work-life balance within their organisations to enable them to develop strategies that help employees to achieve a greater control over their working lives. This in turn will help organisations retain those staff who make the greatest contribution to their business."
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky *
Director, IWS News Bureau *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor *
New York, NY 10016 *
*
Telephone: (607) 255-2703 *
Fax: (607) 255-9641 *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu *
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_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies
School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10016
________________________________________________________________________
Watson Wyatt (UK)
Is work-life balance a driver for employee turnover? [8 June 2005]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=14734
UK, June 8, 2005 - Four out of five employees in the UK say that work-life balance considerations play a crucial role in their decision to stay with or leave their current employer, according to research from Watson Wyatt.
Watson Wyatt's WorkUK Survey conducted from a representative sample of 3,000 private sector workers in the UK found that over 40 per cent of employees are actively considering finding a new job with a different employer, and nearly 80 per cent of employees believe work-life balance to be a very important consideration, if not the key consideration, in deciding to leave for a new job.
"A certain level of turnover can always be expected, indeed it is often perceived as healthy," said Jake Outram, a consultant at Watson Wyatt. "But while it is unlikely that all of the 40 per cent of employees considering changing jobs will actually do so, our research demonstrates that many employers may be neglecting a key factor affecting their employees' attitudes to staying in their positions. It is therefore important that employers understand how their employees, and in particular their high-performers, perceive their work-life balance.'
The Watson Wyatt research also found that the concern with work-life balance is not limited to employees within specific job levels. The response to this issue is almost identical for managers and non-managers.
"Although not a new issue, work-life balance has again been given prominence due to the ongoing debate on the EU working hours' directive," said Jake Outram. "Our research demonstrates the importance that employees place on achieving a sensible work-life balance, and it is evident that employers must focus on measuring the levels of work-life balance within their organisations to enable them to develop strategies that help employees to achieve a greater control over their working lives. This in turn will help organisations retain those staff who make the greatest contribution to their business."
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
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# posted by SBasefsky : 5:51 AM
