Employees getting happier with their work-life balance

New statistics reveal a rise in workers’ happiness with working hours and work-life balance.

The employee engagement research, of 185,000 employees at large and medium sized businesses, was conducted by HR consultancy ETS and found that 85% are happy with their working hours and 77% their work-life balance - increases of four percent from 2010.

More than three quarters (79%) of workers say senior management communicates well with them (up from 70% in 2010), 85% know what the company wants to achieve (up from 77%) and 88%of workers fully understand how their role fits in to company objectives (up from 80%).

Hannah Stratford, head of business psychology at ETS, said: "Despite the average hours worked creeping up for many employees, the increased happiness with their hours worked and work-life balance suggests companies are communicating better with staff, setting objectives more effectively and recognising and rewarding employees who have taken on additional responsibilities."

ETS also found that 80% of employees report being encouraged by their company to find new ways of working and be innovative (up from 73% in 2010). A further 74% of employees claim that companies are quicker in adopting new ideas (up from 70% last year).