Also read the following related article by Business Editor Kabous le Roux:

• What will you regret?

• How to be happy at work

Workers across South Africa (SA) declare that their work-life balance has improved, according to the recently launched Regus Work-Life Balance Index.  Despite working harder than ever before, people are enjoying their jobs more and the majority feel that they have enough time to spend at home or on personal pursuits.

The Index calibrates job satisfaction indicators and respondents’ views on their overall work-life balance with data on real-life practice such as working hours and commuting from a global survey of over 16 000 professionals in more than 80 countries. It registered a 24 percent rise in global work-life balance between 2010 and 2012.

Key findings are:

• Well over half of SA workers enjoy work more (76 percent) and are satisfied with the amount of time they spend at home or on personal pursuits (63 percent);
• The vast majority of SA workers (75 percent) state that they achieve more at work than in 2010 confirming the connection between a good work-life balance and productivity;

• 37 percent of SA respondents say that businesses have tried to shorten employee commute times, acknowledging the strain a lengthy journey in and out of work can have;

A good work-life balance is essential for staff to live a healthy and happy life, but this index breaks new ground in showing that it is also necessary for business growth. This survey finally provides firm evidence connecting productivity with a better, more flexible lifestyle and sounds a call for all businesses to urgently look at their own working practices.

Kirsten Morgendaal, Area Director of Regus comments: "The launch of our new Work-Life balance Index brings the encouraging news that workers state that their work-life harmony is improving. After the initial market free-fall prior to 2010, and the global economic meltdown that ensued, it is not surprising that workers report feeling happier now. For example, worries about job security have decreased from the start of the downturn in some sectors and recent Regus research confirms that global business confidence is stabilising.

The survey also importantly confirms that happier employees are also more productive with a convincing majority of respondents declaring that they are achieving more than in 2010. 

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