THE SCALES HAVE TIPPED

HOW THE GREAT RESIGNATION SHIFTED WORK-LIFE BALANCE

- DAMIEN MARTIN

In 2021 and 2022, nearly 100 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs in the Great Resignation. They left in search of better pay, better benefits, and/or better work-life balance. Many left to start their own businesses. Whatever their reasons, they’re mostly happy they did it, The Conference’s Board 2023 job satisfaction survey showed. The survey, which asks workers about 26 aspects of their working lives, had overall job satisfaction at its highest levels since The Conference Board began started the poll in 1987. Job satisfaction rose 5.5% since 2020, with 62.3% of U.S. workers satisfied with their jobs in 2022. Most happy were those who had quit their previous jobs. Of the 26 aspects, work-life balance saw the biggest leap, increasing 5.8% over 2021 levels. More than 60% of workers surveyed reported being satisfied with their balance of work and extracurriculars.

WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION

During this period, the definition of worklife balance has shifted. It’s more of a work-life integration. With remote and hybrid work prevalent, the lines between work time and personal time can blur more easily. The hours might not exactly correspond to traditional working hours, as evidenced by the emergence of a third productivity peak in the evenings. But it’s that flexibility to get work done when it works for them that’s driving satisfaction levels for workers.

“There was this change where people realized it’s possible to also prioritize family or private life, even during work hours,” Ioana Lupu, associate professor of accounting and management at Paris’ ESSEC Business School, told the BBC. “Because if work intrudes on your family life – on your non-work time – why shouldn’t the opposite be OK?”