Is Work Life Balance a Croc?

People chase work life balance in an effort to be happier. When busy, they think it means they are getting further from being happy, followed by stress. Do you know the feeling?

New research shows under people have the same low level of wellbeing as those that are unemployed.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index shows that people who are overworked maintain their happiness as other commitments such as family take up their time.

On the contrary, the author of the report, Professor Bob Cummins of Deakin University, said it was the people who cannot find enough suitable work that have a low wellbeing.

As Australia and the rest of the developed world bask in full employment, the Professor reminds us that if you work only one hour per week, you are classified as employed.

So although everyone is still working, not getting enough hours created the stresses and decreases their wellbeing more than being overworked.

“This means that many people might not be getting enough hours to meet their needs even when they have a job,” he said in a recent article for Money Magazine.

“What’s really worrying is that people who are underemployed have a wellbeing score that is no better than people who are unemployed.”

He went on to add that it is normally “better for us to be too busy rather than not busy enough,” he said.

“Many people would like to work less hours, but in most cases their happiness is not actually at risk from their busy workload.”

What this research confirms for me is that we should not stress about work life balance making us unhappy. It is the thought of that happening that creates the stress and unhappiness.

Complaining about work life balance is like a rich Hollywood actor saying they act for the art, not for the money. Would you rather have the work-life balance problem, or the problem of not getting enough hours?