Study finds Americans work longer, harder
Work-related stress leads to productivity losses
A recently released study from the Families and Work Institute in New York City finds American workers are working longer, harder, and faster and paying the price in increased stress both at home and work. And stress is not only taking a toll on the health of American workers, corporate America is taking a direct hit to its bottom line with losses due to decreased productivity.
The National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) found that the average American working parent misses three days of work each year due to personal or family problems. And nearly 35% of the nearly 3,000 working Americans surveyed reported that personal or family life has drained them of the energy necessary to do their job or kept them from concentrating fully on the job. Changes in the workforce mean health plans must offer employers creative benefits that help keep Americans healthy and happy at work.
In fact, many of those surveyed expressed a strong need for help balancing work and family. Findings include:
· More than 70% feel used up at the end of the day.
· Roughly 70% feel too tired in the morning to face another day on the job.
· Nearly 60% feel emotionally drained from work.
· Nearly 40% report stress has caused minor health problems.
· More than 30% report they can't always cope with all the things they must do.
The survey uncovered the following workplace demographics that may determine the products you offer employers in the coming century:
o The number of married couples in which both spouses work has grown from 66% in 1977 to 78% in 1997. Among full-time employees living in dual-earner households, 75% have partners who also work full-time.
o More than 40% of full-time workers expect to provide elder care within the next five years. One in four employees already provides elder care. Those employees provide an average of 11 hours of informal, unpaid care per week for an older relative. In addition, 37% of those providing elder care take time off from work to provide that care.
o Nearly 20% report family or personal life has kept them from completing work on time, kept them from taking on extra work, or kept them from doing as good a job as they could otherwise.
o More than 12% of full-time workers hold a second job.
Balanced plans have competitive edge
o More than 85% report working very hard. More than 65% report working very fast. Yet, 60% still report not having time to complete all their work.
o One in three workers reports bringing work home at least once a week.
o More than 90% of workers report being "somewhat" to "very" satisfied with their jobs. However, only 69% report being satisfied with their family life.
o Only 70% report that their employers are supportive.
o More than 35% report they are "somewhat" to "very" likely to make an effort to find a new job with a new employer in the next 12 months.
Health plans with products that help employees balance the demands of work and home have a competitive edge in the marketplace. "Everyone wins if you mitigate obstacles. Businesses are better able to recruit employees, reduce absenteeism, increase retention, and boost productivity," says Linda Hall Whitman, PhD, president of Ceridian Performance Partners, a workplace effectiveness services company in Minneapolis and one of 15 companies that sponsor the Families and Work Institute. "Of our more than 2,500 customers, those who benchmark their costs say their return on investment for our work-life counseling services ranges up to 8:1," she adds.
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