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Work-life balance
Work–life balance refers to the level of prioritisation between an individual’s work and personal life. A good work–life balance is achieved when an individual’s right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm – to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society. Enabling a better work–life balance for workers across the life course has been an EU policy goal for many years as it is central to ensuring that work is sustainable for all.
In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Tina Weber about new research on the right to disconnect, the evolution of the right to disconnect...
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, various forms of flexible work, such as teleworking and flexitime, were in place across EU Member States. However, the pandemic led to a surge...
Eurofound has launched its 2024 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) aiming to interview about 50,000 workers across 35 countries. The survey covers all EU Member States and 8 additional countries...
19 Feabhra 2024
Corporate news
Eurofound research
Work–life balance continues to be a significant research topic for Eurofound, in its surveys and other studies.
Podcast
Listen to or watch a recording of our International Women's Day 2023 podcast on the work–life challenges of women and men.
Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Surveys (EQLS) provide comparisons between countries on the reconciliation of work and family life, flexible working time arrangements and the provision of quality care services. The European Company Surveys (ECS) provide data on why and how companies make use of a broad variety of working time arrangements. The European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCS) look at the organisation of working time across the EU and issues related to it including flexible arrangements, working time preferences and work–life balance.
Eurofound’s unique e-survey, Living, working and COVID-19, provides a snapshot of the impact of the changes that occurred during the pandemic on people’s lives, with the aim of helping policymakers shape the response to the crisis. Conducted in five rounds during 2020, 2021 and 2022, it allows for comparison of the challenges that arose during the different stages of living through the pandemic. A range of questions focus on people’s work situation, their level of teleworking during COVID-19, experiences of working from home and the impact on work–life balance.
The latest findings, published in July 2022 show that despite some improvement in work–life balance issues, there has been a sharp decline in family time among workers in 2022, with almost 30% reporting that their job is preventing them from spending time with their family, from a much lower 19% in 2020.
Working life and work–life balance
Eurofound gathers information on working life in the EU, looking at national and EU-level policies to promote work–life balance and investigating the role of social dialogue and collective bargaining in this area.
Research investigates the opportunities for working time flexibility and improved work–life balance related to digitisation and platform work, linked with the labour market integration of specific groups, such as those with care responsibilities or health issues.
In its research on working conditions and sustainable work, Eurofound has looked at the implications for work–life balance for parents and caregivers.
In the context of the negotiations on the work–life balance package at EU level, and at the European Commission’s request, Eurofound has produced a review of national statistics on the uptake of family-related leave by fathers over time across the EU Member States and Norway.
The fifth round of Eurofound's e-survey, fielded from 25 March to 2 May 2022, sheds light on the social and economic situation of people across Europe two years after COVID-19...
Digital technologies have made it possible for many workers to carry out their work at any time and anywhere, with consequent advantages and disadvantages. Eurofound data show that teleworkers are...
Developments in information and communication technology (ICT) have been among the key drivers of change in working life over the past two decades. Specifically, telework and ICT-based mobile work (TICTM)...
Gender inequality at work persists across Europe, despite the long standing attention paid and efforts made to tackle it. This Eurofound report presents a closer look at women’s and men’s...
Advances in ICT have opened the door to new ways of organising work. We are shifting from a regular, bureaucratic and ‘factory-based’ working time pattern towards a more flexible model...
In the context of ongoing negotiations at EU level on adopting a work–life balance package for families and caregivers, Eurofound was requested by the European Commission to provide an update...
7 Feabhra 2019
Publication
Customised report
EU context
On 17 November 2017, the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission formally proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights, which included an initiative to support work–life balance. Subsequently, in June 2019, the Council adopted a new Directive on work–life balance for parents and carers. The Directive aims to increase women's participation in the labour market and outlines a number of new or improved minimum standards for parental, paternity and carer’s leave, as well as flexible working arrangements, aiming to also increase men's take-up of these.
Jorge Cabrita is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit. He is responsible for formulating, coordinating and managing European-wide research, and promoting the...
In November 2010, the Employment Committee (EMCO) issued a report (239Kb PDF) [1] on the quality of work [2] in the European Union. The report was based on the findings of a thematic review held in June 2010 which aimed to examine and exchange experiences about labour market policies intended to
This report reviews the policy contribution of the fourth EWCS, paying particular attention to the: contribution that the survey currently makes to debates and action regarding specific EU social and employment policies and concerns; potential contribution of the survey in identifying new policy
Working time policies, although designed within the national and sectoral framework and the boundaries of institutional regulations, are fine-tuned and implemented at the level of each company, taking account of the environment in which the company operates and the workforce it is employing. Hence
This issue of Foundation Focus looks at families in the light of recent policy developments at EU and national level and based on Foundation research findings in this area. The aim of each issue of the series is to explore a subject of social and economic policy importance and contribute to argument
There is evidence to support the case that innovative working time and work–life balance policies can lead to a variety of positive impacts at company level, including enhanced employee performance, reduced absenteeism levels, better recruitment and retention potential as well as greater overall
This report examines the extent of occupational segregation by gender and how it impacts on the quality of women’s and men’s working lives. The analysis is based on findings from the fourth European Working Conditions Survey carried out across 31 countries, including the 27 EU Member States. The
This issue of Foundation Findings deals with work-life balance in Europe. The EU needs to increase employment rates to ensure continued economic growth and promote social inclusion. To do this, it needs to make it easier for individuals to combine their work and family commitments to facilitate
This report addresses the key issue of time use and work–life options over the life course. The report aims to contribute to current debates on the subject, placing them in the wider context of 25 European countries and viewing them from a life course perspective. It considers the ways in which the
This analytical report addresses the important question concerning the extent to which quality of work influences people’s overall quality of life. More specifically, the report undertakes a detailed analysis of how working conditions, job satisfaction and work–life balance affect life satisfaction
Initiatives promoting reconciliation of work and family life have become popular across Europe as part of employment policies as well as social policies dealing, among other things, with the challenges of competitiveness, the renewed Lisbon targets for increased participation in the labour market
A joint study entitled ‘Fathers on parental leave’ has been carried out in Denmark, Lithuania, Malta and Iceland based on qualitative research with fathers on leave, employers and decision makers. In Malta, the research was commissioned by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC [1]). The study
The report /Promoting equal opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises/ (La promozione delle pari opportunità nelle piccole e medie imprese (923Kb PDF) [1]), published by the Confederation of Italian Industry (Confederazione Generale dell’Industria Italiana, Confindustria [2]), investigates
At the request of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (Socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija, SADM [1]), a joint research group conducted a survey in 2008 analysing parents’ needs for ensuring the welfare of their families. The methodology used was a representative survey of households
In 2009, the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC [1]), Malta’s public employment service organisation, commissioned a transnational study on work–life reconciliation measures. The research was co-funded by the European Commission [2], with the countries Cyprus, Iceland, Slovenia and Sweden also
The research project ‘Reconciliation of work and family life in Slovenia: Role of the public employment service’ was carried out by a group of researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana [1] in 2008. The project sought to examine the framework for reconciling work
In 2006, almost 25% of the Norwegian population aged between 16 and 66 years was regarded as belonging to the population group of non-working individuals. Reasons for not working were classified into six categories: disability, unemployment, having an old-age or early retirement pension, acting as a
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU [1]) published a research paper in 2009, exploring the role of managers in relation to work-life balance [2] policies. The study is entitled Living to work or working to live? The role of managers in creating work–life balance in Ireland (181Kb PDF) [3]. [1]
The project ‘QUALITY of life in a changing Europe [1]’ (2006–2009) has been conducted in eight countries – Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the UK – under the European Community Sixth Framework Programme. Based on quantitative and qualitative research, the
The Sixth National Survey on Working Conditions reveals that almost one quarter of workers consider that their work is affecting their health, and almost three quarters suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, 71% consider that they are exposed to some kind of risk in the workplace. In
As part of the Labour Force Survey, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (Központi Statisztikai Hivatal, KSH [1]) conducted a supplementary survey in the first quarter of 2008 to explore employees’ commuting patterns. The results (in Hungarian, 281Kb PDF) [2] of the survey were published in the
The impact of COVID-19 continues to create chaos in people’s lives across Europe and the world. The economy is heading towards another major dip, and a sense of general insecurity pervades. The daunting challenges confronting health services and projections on the long-term impact of the crisis domi
Motivated workers have higher levels of engagement, better health and are able to work longer. Improving motivation at work is therefore a key component in meeting the challenges of Europe’s ageing workforce and improving the EU’s long-term competitiveness on a global scale. This means that fosterin
After more than 60 years of European policy on the equal treatment of women and men, men still outnumber women in management positions by almost two to one. The women who do make it into management are more likely to be in non-supervising management roles where they manage operational responsibiliti
Few events challenge the equilibrium between work and life like the arrival of a child. As gender roles continue to change in Europe, supporting the uptake of paternity and parental leave among fathers is fundamental, not just to close the ‘caring gap’ between men and women, but also to provide the
The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), carried out by Eurofound every four years, explores a variety of aspects related to living standards, health, family and work–life balance, as well as people's happiness levels, satisfaction with their lives, and their perceptions regarding the quality of
One of the common values that unites the European Union is that of equal opportunities: all citizens should have the same possibility to improve their lives and participate in the labour market regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Ensuring equal opportunities in finding w
Austerity measures introduced during the crisis have disproportionately concerned cuts in the measures that are most vital for reducing child poverty: cash and tax benefits, a new Eurofound report shows. Furthermore, there has been a move away from universal coverage towards more targeted support. O
The latest research from Eurofound on working conditions in Europe highlights that the 9-to-5 day is not the norm for many workers, and work commonly spills over into home life. Such patterns make it difficult to balance work and life outside work.