Almost half of UK workers unhappy with work life balance

The latest piece of research into working culture in the UK shows that almost half of workers are unhappy with their work/life balance, and that they do not have faith in their employers to prioritise it.

That finding is taken from a report called Talent Trends 2025 that was published by Michael Page, a recruitment consultancy. It shows that 46% of employees in this country feel that their employers do not prioritise their needs alongside the needs of the company. The report also underlines the importance of employee wellbeing – both to them and to the firms that they work for.

Three out of every five UK workers told the report that they would say no to career advancement if it came at the cost of their wellbeing. This means that companies that fail to take the issue seriously could lose good employees.

Talking to HR Magazine, Lucy Spencer from Michael Page said that:

“Businesses can’t afford a ‘clarity chasm’. If employees feel their mental wellbeing is secondary, or if there’s ambiguity around policies like flexible working, trust is eroded and so is engagement.”

She then went on to add that companies need to normalise conversations about mental health. That would be a big change for many of them and something that culture change consulting services could help with.

Paul Guess from the caba wellbeing charity stated that a balance between working and home life was something that HR departments should be promoting from the recruitment stage onwards.