For a large portion of the workforce, about one third, balancing home and career has become increasingly difficult this century. As a result many workers, especially millennials, are hunting for more workplace flexibility to help them succeed in their careers while still being present at home.
One reason employers and employee are feeling the pressure to create cultures that allow a healthy work-life balance is that so many families now have two full-time workers.
According to EY a majority of full-time employees (62 percent) in the US have a partner who works more or less 40 hours five days a week. Another 19 percent said their partner worked full-time but flexible hours. And increasingly, employees are showing that they will hunt to find a better work-life balance for their families even if that means moving or quitting work all together.
Sacrifices made to manage work and personal responsibilities by generation (Source EY)
This same EY study, which involved eight countries, found that these work-life stresses may only get worse. Younger generations of employees, like Millennials, have a higher rate of two income households.
The study states,
Millennials (78%) are almost twice as likely to have a spouse/partner working at least full-time than Boomers (47%). Consequently, “Finding time for me” is the most prevalent challenge faced by millennial parents who are managers in the US (76%) followed by “getting enough sleep” and “managing personal and professional life” (67%).
If we look closely at this data and dozens of other reports like it, there is a trend emerging of more and more households in the US having two incomes. It might be easy to predict that these same households will be looking far and wide for employers who recognize that fact.
This study and others like it are a shot across the bow for employers. The desire for work-life balance is a real recruitment and retention point. Workplace cultures that elevate a healthy balance should have an easier time hiring and keeping top talent.
The complete EY study, Work-life challenges across generations, can be found here.
