Life is a strain, work is to blame

[Grant Lee <grantlee@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

[I know the feeling....]

Life is a strain and work to blame

By Workplace Issues Reporter MARIA MOSCARITOLO
28jul03

OUR jobs take away family time, interfere with our sex lives and make us
tired and irritable, a new survey reveals.

More than half of all [Australian] workers feel their jobs make unreasonable
demands on their personal life - even if it is only occasional - and they
want the Federal Government to help alleviate the strain.

Most would like taxpayer funded maternity leave, paternity leave and
childcare and more flexible hours, the Job Futures/Saulwick Employee
Sentiment Survey of 1000 people says.

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6822645%255E2682,00.html

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[Excerpts from the report itself ---]

JOBfutures/SAULWICK EMPLOYEE SENTIMENT SURVEY No. 9: July 2003

Just on a quarter (26%) of the workforce would like to work fewer hours
(previously 23%) - but this is still more the case among full-time and
white-collar workers than among part-time, casual or blue-collar workers.

As in previous surveys, a large minority of casual workers in particular
(this time 27% (previously 36% and 31%) would like to work more hours and
so, to a lesser extent, would part-time (still 22%, previously 24%) and
blue-collar workers (now 20%, previously23% and18%).  This still probably
reflects their interest in earning more money.

* * * *

>From previous surveys we have established that nearly half the full-time
workforce (44% in the previously survey and 47% before that) say they work
unpaid overtime each week, and that the average amount of unpaid overtime
worked is about  7.5 hours.  This survey confirms these estimates. Again  we
find that 44% of full the full time workforce work unpaid overtime and that
the average unpaid overtime for all people in the workforce is 7.6 hours.
The average for full time people is 8.5 hours, for white collar workers is
7.7 hours and for men is 8.2 hours.

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Stress levels in the workforce, although easing slightly in the previous two
quarters, remain high. Forty-one per cent of the total workforce (previously
39%, 40% and 43%) report high stress levels at work, and 47% (previously
44%, 44% and 45%) of white collar workers and 47% (previously 45%, 44% and
45%) of full time workers report high stress levels at work.

We again repeat what we said in previous reports:  "This continues to raise
questions about the connection between the working lives and the health and
well-being of a significant minority of the Australian workforce."

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A majority of workers say their job unreasonably interferes with the amount
of time they can give to their families, leaves them too tired to go out,
and unreasonably reduces the amount of time they can devote to work around
the house.

Only a little more than a quarter, however, say it reduces their interest in
sex.

Women and full time workers are generally more likely to say that their work
impinges on their personal lives in one or other of these ways.

While men are more likely than women to say their work unreasonably
interferes with the time they can give to family and friends, women are more
likely to say it makes them too tired to go out, makes them irritable,
reduces their interest in sex, prevents them from taking part in community
activities, and unreasonably reduces the amount of time they can devote to
work around the house.

http://www.jobfutures.org.au/news.asp?action=deliverAttachment&itemID=13