Quiz: what’s your work-life balance type?

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Quiz: what’s your work-life balance type?

By Kayleigh Dray

Updated 6 years ago

A new study has found that the average Brit thinks their work life balance is 70%-30% in favour of work, but how balanced is yours? Take our quiz to find out how effective your work-balance skills are…

Updated in April 2020: How many times have you skipped your lunchbreak? Do you log in to check your work emails when you’re on holiday? How often do you find yourself too exhausted to cook after a tiring day at the office? And have you ever missed your mum’s birthday, or fended off calls from your friends, because you’re working late again?

Now, with the outbreak of coronavirus, many of us are being advised or forced to work from home full time. And, while working from home is undoubtedly a privilege, there’s no denying that, in these circumstances, a good work-life balance is even more difficult to maintain. 

There’s no need to take our work home because our work is always at home. It’s easier than ever to log in after-hours because our laptops are right there.  And why take a lunch-break when there’s absolutely nowhere to go? 

As reported in April 2019: There’s no denying that the demands of the modern workplace are tough, made even more so by the fact we now have access to technology which allows us to be logged in to the office wherever we are in the world. So it makes sense that one of the best ways to protect your mental health against work-related stress is to ensure you have a healthy work-life balance.

However, a new study has confirmed that Brits are struggling to do just this, with the majority of Britons thinking their work balance is 70-30 in favour of work: indeed, another 32% of Brits said they continue working when they get home.

The research, which formed part of an ongoing study into the lifestyles of Britons, saw over 2,000 Britons quizzed, all of which were over 18 and currently employed.

Initially, all respondents were asked to predict what they thought their work-life balance was, with the average answer emerging as 70/30, in favour of work.

When relevant respondents were asked why they believed the ratio was so far in favour of work, the top answers were ‘needing the money’ (31%), ‘pressures from my boss’ (29%) and ‘fear of being unemployed’ (26%).

When asked what they do to unwind away from work it was found the most popular activity was watching television (46%). Respondents were then asked if they carry on working once they get home to which almost a third (32%) said they did. Perhaps saddest of all, though, was the fact that 71% of those polled think their workplace doesn’t give them enough support in achieving a good work life balance. This, in turn has resulted in just over two in five (42%) drifting apart from friends because of their workload and over a third (34%) having arguments with their partners. 

Thankfully, though, there is help at hand. Karen Meager, a successful psychotherapist and author, has teamed up with Stylist and Clinique to design a quiz that will help you determine how effective your work-balance skills are.

From the rigid compartmentaliser to the scatty crammer, the fair-minded equalizer to the workaholic, she has broken things down into four main work-balance types – and offered her advice on how to improve things if you’re finding them tough.

Time to find out how good you are at juggling

Image: Getty

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