A new study finds that despite a healthy job market, Americans remain dissatisfied with their work-life balance.
The American Job Quality Study published by Gallup surveyed more than 18,000 U.S. workers and found that:
- 27% of respondents have a low-quality work schedule
- 35% have a medium-quality work schedule
- 35% said they have a high-quality schedule
The final 3% represents those who selected “no opinion.”
“We in this country do not have an unemployment problem, at least right now," said Molly Blankenship, director of strategy and impact at Jobs for the Future. "But yet there's other data out there that shows, and I think we feel it in our day-to-day lives, that people are burnt out and disillusioned and struggling to get by. And so it indicates to me that there is a quality problem.”
A high-quality schedule at a job is considered to have predictability, stability and control. Low-quality schedules are unpredictable or ones where the employees have no control over them. The study shows low-quality schedules are an issue across all industries and job types.
Blankenship said a healthy work-life balance can decrease turnover rates and absenteeism while boosting productivity.
“For companies, I hope that this gives you some ways to know whether your schedules are meeting standards of quality or not, and find ways to look for small changes that you can make that can potentially have a big impact on worker satisfaction, retention, etc.,” she said.
