47 per cent say technology has blurred boundary between professional, personal life
The advent of technology and the modern work-from-home setup have allowed parents to earn money in their homes, but they also have negative effects on family relations, wellbeing and work-life balance, according to a new report.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of parents say that technology has blurred the boundary between work and home, while 48 per cent say that being able to work from home has probably increased the hours they work.
More than four in 10 (44 per cent) say they check emails or do other work in the evening, and three-quarters feel they have no choice in this, according to the Bright Horizons’ Modern Families Index 2020 report out of the U.K.
The majority of parents say they have to work extra hours because of their workload (60 per cent) and their organization’s culture (52 per cent). And 41 per cent of parents who tend to work extra hours are likely to think about work issues while they are with their family regularly or all the time, compared to 20 per cent of parents working within their contracted hours, found the survey of 3,090 working parents across the United Kingdom.
Among parents staying in work mode, 54 per cent say that their work has led to arguments with their children while 57 per cent say it has led to disagreements with their partners.
And 16 per cent of parents who work extra hours say they have plans to change jobs, compared to 11 per cent of those who don’t do overtime work.
Working extra hours can contribute to fatigue among workers, and the CSA Group has called for a national standard to measure workplace fatigue. Workers in the U.K. also report loneliness at work, according to a separate survey.
