Four Out of Five Workers More Likely to Stay at Firm with Low Stress and Good Work/Life Balance
No author cited
Watson Wyatt Worldwide and WorldatWork, October 2007
A study of nearly 1,000 companies in 22 countries has found that when employees are satisfied with stress levels and work/life balance, 86 percent are more inclined to stay with their company (versus 64 percent when dissatisfied) and 88 percent are more likely to recommend it as a place to work (versus 55 percent when dissatisfied).
While stress at work was perhaps a more scrutinized metric in Watson Wyatt Worldwide and WorldatWork's 2007/2008 Global Strategic Rewards study, the study notably found that work/life balance appeared in "top 5" lists of both employers' and employees' views of why the latter stay at or leave a job (no. 5 / 24 percent for employers and no. 5 / 22 percent for employees).
The inability for employers to help employees achieve a manageable work/life balance, along with other factors including the aforementioned stress levels as well as base pay, promotion / career development opportunities and relationship with supervisor / manager result in two-thirds of companies worldwide reporting difficulty attracting top-performing workers. The study also found that a full 70 percent of companies reported that they have difficulty attracting critical-skill employees.
