Edinburgh is home to balanced professionals
Britain’s second financial city is flying the flag for work-life balance, and reaping the rewards it brings.
According to research figures, nearly seven out of ten (67%) banking and financial services employers in Edinburgh consider work-life balance extremely important, compared to only one in five (46%) of their London counterparts.
Staff who have a good work-life balance are more engaged
The figures, from Badenoch & Clark’s workplace study A Longer Term View: Looking beyond the current crisis, shows that Edinburgh is streets ahead in highlighting the importance of work-life balance. This suggests employers in the area are addressing the issue more successfully than their London counterparts.
Nationwide however, the research reveals a worrying trend amongst banking and financial services employees to work longer hours. Despite many employers’ efforts to ensure their workforce can achieve a good work-life balance, around a quarter (26%) are still working 50 hours a week, with 7% putting in a startling 60 hours a week.
Employers have begun to realise that staff who have a good work-life balance are more engaged with their working life, leading to a more productive and happier workforce.
Employers in London are embracing work-life balance as a key factor in improving productivity and making employees happier, but there is clearly still more to be done. These figure show that Edinburgh is leading by example in highlighting work-life balance in the work place. Despite the temptation to burn the candle at both ends, these workers understand the direct impact it has on productivity and the realisation that a burnt out employee will more likely create poor quality work.
The argument for work-life balance in the sector seems to have been won. The challenge now is to make some serious in-roads into factors like the long-hours culture that still persists.
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