Editor’s Notice: This story initially appeared on FlexJobs.com.
Acquiring work-life steadiness is likely one of the major causes folks search versatile jobs. When coping with a poisonous work setting or burnout signs, overworked professionals typically flip to jobs with versatile hours and distant work preparations in the hunt for larger worker well-being.
Moreover, a rising variety of professionals are looking for corporations with four-day workweeks within the pursuit of improved office wellness.
Amid rising debates on distant work and evolving office dynamics, FlexJobs surveyed over 3,000 U.S.-based professionals to realize perception into their work experiences.
The survey explored how in the present day’s work panorama is impacting employees’ profession selections and views on the way forward for work, together with their well being and wellness.
FlexJobs’ 2024 Workforce Wellness Report discovered that 28% of respondents expertise day by day strain to overwork past their common hours.
One other 30% really feel pressured to overwork at the very least weekly (12%) or a couple of occasions monthly (18%). Consequently, the vast majority of employees (70%) really feel that corporations ought to rethink the 40-hour workweek.
Majority of Staff Need Shorter Workweeks and Versatile Schedules
Whereas 11% of survey respondents choose to maintain the usual five-day workweek in place, 89% of employees are in favor of compressed schedules and four-day workweeks.
Versatile work preferences amongst professionals surveyed have been as follows:
- 32% choose to observe a four-day workweek.
- 32% opted for a versatile schedule with the power to decide on their working hours.
- 25% desire a performance-based association, the place hours are based mostly on targets.
“The findings in FlexJobs’ survey spotlight the prevalence of unhealthy ‘hustle tradition’ and the strain to overwork,” stated Toni Frana, Lead Profession Knowledgeable at FlexJobs.
“It’s vital that employers give attention to growing organizations that prioritize work-life steadiness over burnout to be able to foster more healthy, extra productive, and engaged groups heading into 2025,” Frana added.
Overworking and Poisonous Bosses Named Prime Office Stressors
Along with the 58% of respondents who indicated that they really feel pressured to work past their common hours, 80% reported that they’ve endured a poisonous work setting out of concern of dropping their jobs.
The highest stressors ensuing from these poisonous workplaces embrace “extreme workloads” (34%), “poisonous bosses” (31%), and “unrealistic expectations from managers” (31%).
Different prime stressors employees are experiencing embrace:
- Job insecurity (29%)
- Work-life boundaries (24%)
- Troublesome coworkers (23%)
- Layoffs (23%)
- Adjustments throughout the group (22%)
- Lack of time (21%)
Whether or not a results of these challenges or a matter of tolerating these stressors within the curiosity of job security, greater than one-third of respondents reported feeling “caught” (37%) of their present job. One other 37% really feel “annoyed,” whereas 34% really feel “harassed” or “burned out” of their roles.
Notably, these damaging office emotions rated greater than optimistic ones, with solely 11% of respondents feeling “engaged,” 8% feeling “enthusiastic,” and seven% feeling “excited” of their present roles.
Staff’ Emotions About Their Workplaces
Staff additionally reported the next emotions about their present work conditions:
- Dissatisfied (33%)
- Disengaged (26%)
- Bored (21%)
- Happy (17%)
- Detached (16%)
- Ambivalent (11%)
- Content material (9%)
Office Stress Negatively Impacting Sleep and Consuming Habits
Because of office stress, almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents stated they’ve skilled problem sleeping or modifications to their sleep patterns.
Moreover, over half (54%) have turned to consolation consuming or unhealthy snacking, and 48% have demonstrated irritability or a shortened mood.
Different unhealthy behaviors or coping mechanisms reported on account of work stress embrace:
- Procrastination or avoidance of duties (47%)
- Bodily signs like complications (46%)
- Issue concentrating or making choices (44%)
- Extreme caffeine consumption (39%)
- Unfavourable self-talk or rumination (38%)
- Isolating oneself from family and friends (32%)
- Elevated display screen time or reliance on social media (25%)
- Elevated alcohol consumption (20%)
Distant Work Considered by Many as a Treatment for Higher Psychological Well being
The shifting priorities of work-life steadiness within the workforce are additionally mirrored in respondents’ views on paid trip time and versatile jobs — specifically distant and hybrid workplaces.
Greater than half of respondents (62%) to FlexJobs’ Workforce Wellness Report stated they plan to take or have already taken all of their paid trip time in 2024. Conversely, solely 34% haven’t.
Along with paid break day, almost all respondents agreed that distant and hybrid workplaces are the perfect work preparations for his or her psychological well being:
- 56% stated a remote-only setting was greatest for his or her psychological well being.
- 43% agreed {that a} hybrid office, which entails a mixture of distant and in-office work, was higher for his or her psychological well being.
- Just one% stated being in-office full-time and never working remotely in any respect was greatest for his or her psychological well being.
Furthermore, the survey confirmed that respondents aren’t solely keen on distant work environments however particularly work-from-anywhere jobs that don’t entail any geographic or location necessities.
Many Would Sacrifice Pay for Flexibility
Over half (58%) of survey-takers stated they might settle for a pay lower in alternate for the choice to work remotely from anyplace.
Of those respondents, 31% stated they might settle for a 5% wage lower, 19% stated they have been keen to simply accept a wage lower of as much as 10%, and eight% would settle for a 20% pay lower to be able to work from anyplace.
To safe work-from-anywhere distant job flexibility, employees stated they might additionally alternate:
- Fewer possibilities for skilled growth (24%)
- Forgoing company-sponsored medical health insurance (14%)
- Will increase in working hours (14%)
- Retirement-focused firm contributions (12%)
- Decreased trip days (12%)
