A recent survey carried out by jobs.lu has revealed that 27% of employees in Luxembourg consider their expected workload to be "unreasonable".
In this survey, recruitment platform jobs.lu set out to ask the question of whether employees are being subjected to a heavier workload in the context of a labour shortage. Employees were polled on the number of extra hours they clocked up each day and each week, as well as their feelings about their assigned workload.
More specifically, the survey asked employees in Luxembourg whether their work left them enough time for family, friends and non-work-related activities. Whilst most (62.7%) said they did have enough time for their personal aspirations, 37.3% responded negatively.
Regarding overtime, almost a quarter (23%) of employees said they completed more than five additional hours of work per week. 44% of respondents said they worked no more than eight hours a day and 40% said they did not work more than 40 hours per week. 16% said they worked an extra half hour each day, 17% worked an extra hour daily and 23% worked more than two extra hours per day.
"Affecting a majority of sectors, the labour shortage being experienced by companies has an impact on the workload of employees," commented Arthur Meulman, General Manager of jobs.lu. "More than one in four workers (27%) consider their workload to be unreasonable. 37.8% also consider that the work is often poorly distributed across the team. Although it can be difficult to fill certain vacant positions, in the current climate, employers must be vigilant with regard to these issues. Burnout among employees would only reinforce absenteeism and the detrimental effects linked to labour shortages."
On the other hand, 71% of employees considered their position and bargaining power amid talent shortages to be improving (76% of managers surveyed shared this point of view). 81% said that given the growing importance and use of remote working, they would be tempted to apply for new jobs, offering them greater flexibility (80% of managers agreed). For 60% of employees (and 78% of managers), this situation is likely to reduce gender inequalities, in terms of remuneration but also career opportunities.
"The current situation is favourable to employees. Considering the demand for labour, they are more inclined to explore the opportunities available to them," explained Arthur Meulman. "If they are tempted to move, our survey revealed that this is not only for salary reasons. Employees are seeking a better work-life balance and want to be able to benefit from increased flexibility, but also from a more human-centred working environment. Employers who manage to meet these expectations will enjoy a real advantage over others."
As part of this survey, jobs.lu sent out a questionnaire (in English and French) on the theme of "The future of work" to 830 participants (729 employees and 101 managers) in Luxembourg between 29 March and 27 April 2023.