Happiest workers are hybrid when it comes to work-life balance

Hybrid workers have the best work-life balance in the UK according to a report that revealed 74% of those working a mix of at home and on site are happiest.

The Britain At Work Report, published by Health Shield Friendly Society, revealed significant differences in work-life balance depending on working arrangements.

·      64% of those who work entirely remotely say they have at least a good work-life balance.

·      71% of those who work entirely on site have at least a good work-life balance.

·      28% overall reported a work-life balance that was less than good.

·      31% cited lack of flexible work arrangements as a barrier to achieving a healthy work-life balance.

Only 7% across all working arrangements rated their work-life balance as poor or very poor, an encouraging statistic for employers as they seek to get the best from employees.

However, there remain concerns:

·      40% of employees say that work frequently or always interferes with personal or family life.

·      35% picked out high workload or job demands as a barrier to work-life balance.

·      30% cited long working hours.

·      24% mentioned having difficulty disconnecting from work.

·      11% cited not enough support from their employer.

Better news for employers was that:

·      93% of employees who feel their employer supports their wellbeing a lot are happy and motivated in their work - with 98% also feeling valued and supported.

This suggests that support from employers can make a significant difference.

Paul Shires, director at Health Shield said: “Employers have an important opportunity to listen to their teams by providing flexible, inclusive solutions which enable them to thrive both at work and home.

“This can be achieved by tackling the real barriers, such as excessive workloads, long hours and limited flexibility, and by considering different needs across the workforce.

“It also showed that happier employees are absent less often, taking 6.7 days off a year compared to 11.9 days for those who feel unhappy and unsupported.”

The desire for flexible working from employees comes through clearly. However, there are caveats on whether a remote-first policy delivers for everyone:

·      Remote workers report lower levels of happiness and motivation at 59%.

·      Remote workers take an average of 11.2 days off sick compared to 6.7 for hybrid and 5.8 for on-site workers.

·      Remote workers are less likely to say their employer supports their wellbeing a lot (28% compared to 38% of those working hybrid or on-site).

Perry Timms, HR consultant and influencer, said: "High workloads, long hours, and limited flexibility aren’t just employee challenges — they’re business challenges. Stress and burnout directly impact productivity, team performance and the bottom line.

“By implementing flexible policies and managing workloads effectively, businesses can unlock higher employee engagement, reduce turnover costs, and drive innovation. A thriving workforce doesn’t just perform better, it creates measurable commercial value, making investment in employee wellbeing a strategic move for long-term success.”

For more information please visit: https://www.healthshield.co.uk/

Ends

Editors notes

The Britain At Work Report surveyed 975 working adults over the age of 18 who were in full or part-time employment in the UK in December 2024.

For further information, please contact:

Emily Abreu, Samantha Clark or Chris Hatherall

Midnight Communications

healthshield@midnight.co.uk

T: 01273 666 200

About Health Shield Friendly Society

Health Shield is an award-winning friendly society, dedicated to helping businesses stay in the best of health by providing employee health benefits. Founded in 1877 to support the health of railway workers, today the not-for-profit mutual provides employee health benefits to businesses across the UK, covering more than 500,000 people. Its award-winning product offering includes health cash plans and health screening services designed for prevention and early intervention.

For more information visit: https://www.healthshield.co.uk/