Recession has More People Feeling Dominated by Work
Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises, said an economic downturn always has an impact on how people view the balance between their professional and personal lives.
| Category | Work-Life Quality |
| Details | A recent Everest College Labour Day Poll conducted by Harris/Decima reveals that many Canadians lack balance in their lives. While 78 per cent of Canadians say it's more important to work less and have more time for themselves, friends and family, work demands make it impossible particularly during the current economic downturn. More than one-third of Canadians, 34 per cent, say that work dominates their life - up from 12 per cent in 2008. Thirty-one per cent say they are expected to work longer hours for the same or less pay, given the declining economy. The survey also revealed that over half of those surveyed (54 per cent) are spending at least nine hours a day working and commuting, while 15 per cent of respondents spend 11 hours a day, or more, at work and commuting. The survey, conducted in July on behalf of Everest College, an Ontario career college, also found that almost a quarter of Canadians anticipate working during the Labour Day weekend, and almost 25 per cent of Canadians are working more than one job to make ends meet. Excerpt - Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises, a Toronto-based consultancy for employers, said an economic downturn always has an impact on how people view the balance between their professional and personal lives. Those laid off, she said, tend to reconsider the type of lives they want in relation to work, while many who keep their jobs are picking up the duties of the colleagues who have been axed. She said with Canada and much of the industrialized world facing labour shortages as baby boomers retire or reduce their workloads, employees will find themselves in better positions to negotiate work-life balance provisions. Employers, Spinks said, are wise to keep their staff's personal needs in mind for the purpose of recruitment and maximizing current workers' performance. "What the research shows is that healthy, happy, balanced employees are more productive, more resilient, more resourceful, and able to be more creative, innovative and solve problems better than those who are stressed, strained, overworked, overwhelmed, overloaded," she said. |
| Author | Derek Abma |
| Publication Date | August 31, 2009 |
| Source | www.canada.com |
| Format | |
| Availability | View Article |
