For over half of New Zealand employees, private life and work life are intertwined, according to a report commissioned by recruitment and HR services company Randstad.

Employment Trends & Jobseeker Confidence

The quarterly Randstad Workmonitor tracks jobseeker confidence and provides a view of job market sentiment and trends relating to the employment market.

The Q1 2012 findings show 56 percent of New Zealanders handle work-related matters in their private time, and 59 percent receive work-related phone calls or emails outside of regular office hours.

The report also found three out of ten New Zealand employees say their employer expects them to be available 24/7.

Work-life Blending rather than Balancing

Paul Robinson, director of Randstad NZ, says these results highlight the current business environment and the growing trend of work life blend.

Robinson says the challenging conditions seen in the last 12 months mean that job uncertainty has increased the pressure for many employees to be available at all hours, hence more people completing work-related activities in their own time as a way of demonstrating their commitment to the business.

The traditional concept of work life balance has become outdated as work and life are now inextricably combined, he says, adding that the availability of smartphones and mobile wifi means it can be difficult to ever completely switch off.

Robinson warns that, in return, employers need to be more tolerant of people completing some personal activities in work time. “It’s give and take,” he says.

Other Findings

The Q1 Randstad Workmonitor results also found:

• 16 percent of workers are provided with a smartphone by their employer;
• 64 percent prefer face-to-face contact to phone/email;
• 20 percent said they are easily distracted by email and phone at work;
• 68 percent said they are satisfied working with their current employer;
• 40 percent are not focused on getting a promotion; and
• 33 percent purposely create moments during the day when they ignore phone calls and emails.

About this article

This article first appeared in Safeguard update - an email and print newsletter covering the latest Health and Safety issues prepared and written by Safeguard Editor, Angela Gregory.  

More information

Click the link to  review other Thomson Reuters OSH and HR solutions
Or talk to either your account manager or our customer service team on 0800 10 60 60.