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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 February 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 February 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...
Work plays a pivotal role in people’s lives, in the functioning of companies and in society at large. Improving the quality of work and working conditions has long been at the forefront of EU policy, most recently in the Europe 2020 Strategy towards ‘Smart, inclusive and cohesive growth’. The fifth
Eżami ta’ kif inbidlu (jew baqgħu l-istess) ilkundizzjonijiet tax-xogħol jista’ jitfa’ dawl fuq il-progress li qed isir lejn dawn l-għanijiet tal-politika. Jista’ jindika wkoll x’impatt kellhom il-fatturi li jwasslu għall-bidla bħall-globalizzazzjoni, l-iżvilupp teknoloġiku, il-forom iktar
The number of hours worked per week continues to drift downwards, on average – the result of more people working part time, fewer people working long hours, and a fall in the collectively agreed working hours in many countries. Foundation Findings provide pertinent background information and policy
The report describes over 50 cases of companies in 11 Member States that have adopted measures to support their employees with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. Key initiatives by companies include: various types of leave; reduced working hours; and such supportive measures as
This report describes over 50 cases of companies in 11 Member States that have adopted measures to support their employees with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. Key initiatives by companies include: various types of leave; reduced working hours; and such supportive measures as
Parenting support and education encompass different types of interventions (e.g. information, training, counselling, etc.) directly linked to rearing children. The ultimate goals of parenting support and education are helping parents raise their children and having a positive impact on the physical
Perceived quality of life is lower in the candidate countries of Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey than in the EU27, largely due to poverty. Women’s labour force participation is low and jobs in general are characterised by long hours and poor work–life balance. Families
This report explores the subject of work and family life across Europe, looking at ways to find a better balance between the demands of work and family responsibilities. Based on data from the second European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), conducted by Eurofound in 2007, the report analyses tensions
This issue of Foundation Focus looks at the relationship between work and health, using first findings from Eurofound’s fifth European Working Conditions Survey which was launched on 16 and 17 November 2010 under the Belgian EU presidency. With the additional support of the European Commission, the
The work and employment relations survey (2011 WERS [1]) is published by the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills [2] and is the sixth in a series of studies carried out on work and employment in the UK. It covers wide-ranging issues from collective bargaining coverage to
The European Company Survey on Reconciliation of Work and Family Life 2010 (1.36Mb PDF) [1] has provided a detailed description and analysis of family-friendly policies implemented by companies in six European countries – Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Sweden and Poland. [1] http://www.bosch
White-collar staff in Sweden are increasingly taking time off through stress and because they are overloaded with work according to a new study (in Swedish, 563KB PDF) [1]. The research was conducted by Annelie Carlberg and Björle Sjöholm in 2012 on behalf of white-collar union Unionen [2]. The
The National Research Centre for the Working Environment has conducted a new cohort study entitled Working Environment and Health in Denmark 2012–2020 (WEHD), which is a continuation of the former Danish Working Environment Cohort Study (DWECS). Results from 2012 serve as baseline measurements due
The main aim of the report, The impact of the economic crisis on the situation of women and men and on gender equality policies (3MB PDF) [1], is to chart the impact of the financial and economic crisis on those working in the EU and on gender equality [2] policies in particular. The report was
A survey investigating family-friendly working policies in companies in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, UK) finds that employers take family-friendly working seriously and have put in place a range of policies to support this, especially in areas such as flexible
Pensions specialist Keva [1] has published Municipal Workers’ Well-being 2011 (in Finnish, 405Kb PDF) [2], the most recent in a series of similar surveys conducted annually since 2008. Keva handles pension applications, pension decisions, rehabilitation, customer service and the payment of pensions
New rosters for Ireland’s police force, An Garda Síochána [1], are seen as a key achievement under the terms of the Public Service Agreement (2010–2014) – known as the Croke Park agreement (IE1007039I [2]). The wide-ranging agreement commits the Irish Government [3] to maintaining core pay and
International online information network Healthgrouper [1] has published a report (in Bulgarian, 1.5Mb PDF) [2] on job satisfaction among doctors in Bulgaria. The survey, intended to identify factors that determined doctors’ job satisfaction, was conducted in March 2012. [1] http://healthgrouper.com
The Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS [1]) is conducted by the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ [2]) every quarter on a randomly selected sample of private households. It focuses on the economic status of people in the country aged 15 and over. In 2010, the LFSS contained an ad hoc module on work-life
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.
