Workfront Delivers Results of Survey Showing Employees Think Technology is Killing Family Dinnertime
SILICON SLOPES, Utah — It is no secret that technology plays a major role in today’s modern world. But what happens when technology starts blurring the line between work and non-work hours? Among the results of a recent survey released today, commissioned by Workfront, the leading provider of cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solutions and conducted online by Harris Poll with more than 600 full-time employees working a typical 9-5 schedule, found that 56% of workers feel that technology has ruined the family dinner because employers and clients demand a response at any hour.
In fact, 40% of employees think it is okay to answer an urgent work email while sharing a family meal. With employees feeling the need to be “on-the-clock” 24/7, it should be no surprise that survey results showed that only a third of employees strongly agree that they had a good work-life balance and 89% say said it is important that their employer support them when it comes to time “off -the-clock” (e.g. not contact them, or give clients their contact information).
“Technology is infused throughout our modern lifestyle – be it in the home or at work – but we need to be conscientious about how and when to use it,” said Joe Staples, CMO of Workfront. “More times than not, there are no parameters set by employers on what they require from employees after hours. So the default can be an ‘always-on’ lifestyle. The challenge this presents is a potential for burnout. Other studies show that employees are more focused when they get appropriate amounts of downtime. In order to curtail employee burnout, employers should set acceptable email times and encourage employees to take time off of work so that they can focus on their personal interests and spend quality time outside of work.”
Some other interesting findings from the Work-Life Imbalance survey include:
- It’s your party… but I couldn’t show up if I wanted to — Nearly two in five (38%) employees have missed important life events because of work. Interestingly enough, men (45%) are far more likely than women (28%) to have missed a life event due to work.
- Are you a bad boss, or a good boss? — Nothing contributes more to a poor work-life balance than a bad boss. Sixty percent of employees state that bad bosses can have the most negative impact on an employee’s work-life balance. Coming in a distant–but still strong– second place were problems like regular overtime and inflexible work schedules (both at 39%). Women (75%) are more likely than men (64%) to feel employers should offer flexible work schedules to help improve employees’ work-life balance.
- Time to update the resume — When asked to name the top two negative consequences of a poor work-life balance on an employee’s work atmosphere, poor morale (68%) and employee burnout and high turnover (both at 41%) rose to the top.
Addressing the problem, Workfront helps to solve today’s work-life imbalance by providing a single tool where employees at all levels can collaborate in the context of work, and gain complete visibility into the work that is being done. By having a single application where work is managed, managers can see work progress at a glance, team members can plan and prioritize their work, and all collaboration is done in the context of the work. This type of work organization can help employees get more done and have more time for the other side of the work-life equation.
To view the full report and to learn more about Workfront, visit, http://www.workfront.com/worklife.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Workfront from February 3-5, 2015 among 2,016 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 610 are employed full time in a typical 9-5 schedule. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].
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About Workfront
Workfront is a cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solution that helps marketing, IT, and other enterprise teams conquer the chaos of excessive email, redundant status meetings, and disconnected tools. Unlike other tools, Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud is a centralized, easy-to-adopt solution for managing and collaborating on all types of work through the entire work lifecycle, which improves team productivity and executive visibility. Workfront is trusted by thousands of global enterprises, like Cars.com, Cisco Systems, Comcast, iProspect, Schneider Electric and Trek. To learn more, visit www.workfront.com or follow us on Twitter @Workfront_Inc.