Senior staff have the worst work-life balance

According to a recent report from Morgan Redwood, 39% of businesses feel work-life balance has the biggest influence on staff morale, with senior managers and board members regarded as having the worst work-life balance.

When compared to a similar report from 2009, work-life balance is now regarded as the most influential factor for staff morale, a leap up from its previous ranking of sixth.

As part of the study, senior managers were asked to rate their employees’ level of morale out of 10, (with 10 being excellent) which found the average rating was just 5.2. When asked what factors were most likely to adversely affect morale, a poor work-life balance was seen as number one, according to 33.2% of those questioned.

When asked to rank “who has the best work-life balance” senior managers came out as fourth, with only the board deemed to have a worse balance. The “wider workforce” were deemed to have the best balance, followed by junior and middle managers.

Janice Haddon, MD of Morgan Redwood, says: “A considerable number saw a poor work-life balance adversely affecting morale within the workplace. If senior managers experience a poor work-life balance, this can lead to stress, worry, lower energy and poor concentration, which can then drip feed down to junior management teams, ultimately having a negative impact on the business as a whole.”

Janice adds: “Stress and lack of morale in a business needs to be treated at the source. In order to keep up business performance, senior managers need to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This positive balance can then filter on to the wider workforce. Overworked employees with no time for their personal affairs will soon face burnout, so employers need to take action to meet the needs of their staff.”