According to Regus, the Luxembourg-based provider of flexible workplaces, Indian corporate employees report a bet­ter work-life balance than most other countries that participated in its Work-Life Balance study this year. India scores 138 on the Regus Work-Life Balance Index 2013 as compared to the global average of 120. The index is measured on factors such as time spent at work and in leisure, the feeling of achievement at work (compared to last year) and management of stress. This Work-Life Balance study published for the second year is based on the views of 26,000 professionals in more than 90 countries including US, UK, Australia, Canada, Brazil and China. 

However, despite India’s strong global ranking, its place in the Index has slipped slightly from last year, reflecting the pres­sure of work in a tough economy. Accord­ing to the survey, professionals from Mexico are the happiest at work. 

Interestingly, this relationship between work and leisure differs with generations in India, only getting better with age. For instance, the Baby Boomer generation (born 1945-1964) appears to be more adept at juggling work and home. This generation’s Work-life Balance Index score comes in at a high-flying 144, against the India average of 138. About 78 per cent of them reported to be happy with the amount of time they spent at home. In comparison, only 65 per cent of Genera­tion X (born 1965-80) and Generation Y respondents (born after 1980) reported to be happy about their time at home.

As a Regus spokesperson pointed out, professionals who are happy at work are both more productive and less likely to leave the company. So adopting flexible workplace policies that help employees maintain a better work-life balance may become crucial as the job market improves with time. 

But it isn’t all gloomy for the younger generation. Though they appear to be less adept at juggling work and home life, their sense of achievement at work is better than Baby Boomers. The report suggested that generations X and Y feel that they are achieving more at work compared with their counterparts. To add to it, 88 per cent of business owners enjoyed work more than they did last year. And, respondents from small firms scored quite high at 143.