Despite the global work/life balance index falling, Hong Kong citizens have bucked the trend by improving their quality of life.
Hong Kong may have a reputation for having a workaholic culture, however—contrary to popular belief—Hong Kong workers have struck a balance between their personal and professional lives, according to new research. China, on the other hand, has seen a sharp decrease in the work/life balance and has been overtaken by India, which is now lending more time to leisure.
The global Work/Life Balance Index, produced by Regus, has fallen slightly with workers still shouldering the additional workload that was taken on during the downturn. As a result, a staggering 42% of workers now spend less time at home with family than they used to due to work commitments, with most major European markets, the US and Australia being hit the hardest.
The Survey took into account time spent away from home, productivity in the workplace, additional work and the overall satisfaction of workers worldwide to give a general picture of personal work/life harmony. Interestingly, women in Hong Kong enjoy a better work/life balance than the global average, while local men fare less well with a much lower score—just below the global average of 120/160. This may be due to women spending more time at home with family and, as such, achieving higher satisfaction rates.
A harder-working China
While Singapore and Taiwan have also experienced modest gains compared to last year's survey, mainland China witnessed a sharp 13-point drop from last year’s 149/160 index points to this year’s 136/160. While still one of the highest scores in the region, this represents one of the steepest declines between surveys, with 72% of mainland professionals reporting that they spend more time working now than they did last year. Despite this, 69% report finding work now more enjoyable.
Commenting on the index, John Henderson, Chief Finance Officer, Regus Asia Pacific said, "These results have to be good news for Hong Kong, since staff who are happy at work are both more productive and less likely to leave. These findings demonstrate that work/life balance is not just about the number of hours people work, but also about how much people achieve during those hours and how much they enjoy what they do. Hong Kong is a strong example of a hard-working and productive marketplace where people feel content with the amount of time and energy they have for their lives outside of work.”
Room for improvement
Robin Bishop, Director, Corporate Responsibility, Community Business commented, “It is certainly encouraging to see that the work/life balance has improved for Hong Kong. Over the past seven years, our own research survey has shown minimal increase in people’s satisfaction achieving a good balance and there’s clearly room for improvement.”
It’s good to see that the overall perception of the workforce in Hong Kong is changing and more progress can be made if companies take the lead on creating a culture that promotes flexibility and encourages individual employees to take ownership for proactively managing their own work/life balance.
Improved work/life balance in Hong Kong contradicts the general trend of deterioration elsewhere—particularly in mainland China, Malaysia and Australia.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
