Work-life balance still out of reach, according to report

Australians’ work-life outcomes have not improved over the past five years, according to the findings of the latest Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) survey.

Increased intensity in work demands and worsening work-life outcomes for full-time working women are among the main findings of the survey, in which a quarter of all respondents reported that work frequently interferes with other life activities.

The 2012 survey of almost 3000 working Australians is the fifth undertaken by the University of South Australia’s Centre for Work + Life. Its outcomes are detailed in The Big Squeeze: Work, Home and Care in 2012 report.

The centre’s director, Professor Barbara Pocock, says since the publication of the first AWALI report in 2007, the global financial crisis and the continuing instability of financial markets has influenced Australians’ work and family lives.

“Legislation, including the Fair Work Act 2009 and the introduction of rights enabling greater work flexibility and paid parental leave, has also been introduced in recent years in Australia,” she says.

“Amidst all this change, work-life interference has remained widespread and persistent since 2007. It particularly affects those who work long hours, and things have become worse for women working full-time.”

Full-time women’s dissatisfaction with their work-life balance has almost doubled (from 15.9% in 2008 to 27.5% in 2012), while men report little change.

The survey also indicates that the ‘struggle to juggle’ work with parenthood is persistent, with 41% of mothers in full-time employment saying they would prefer to work part time - the largest proportion since 2007.

Professor Pocock suggests that improving work-life outcomes would require both policy change and a cultural shift in the workplace.

“Policy changes like paid parental leave and more flexibility at work clearly help workers reconcile work with the rest of their lives. However, more is needed given that there has been little positive change in Australians’ work-life outcomes on average over the past five years,” she says.

“More policy change and more action in workplaces are necessary to better enable workers to reconcile their jobs with the rest of their lives.

“In a diverse workforce that is also ageing, there is a pressing need for reform that extends flexibility to all workers, regardless of their life circumstances.

“We also need management and cultural change in workplaces to reduce long hours of work, reduce work intensification and mitigate negative work-life interference.”