Insights for ecommerce hiring managers: work-life balance

Looking for more ecommerce hiring insights? You've come to the right place! In our latest blog for ecommerce hiring managers, we're looking at one of the key factors in ensuring employees are happy...work-life balance. Using the latest data from the 2020 ecommerce salary survey & insights report, it's time to get to the bottom of this topic!

In 2020, we saw millions move to a work from home setup as the Covid-19 crisis escalated. We should note that this questionnaire was completed by our respondents just before this, but it's important to take stock of what people feel when it comes to their work-life balance. This is vital not only for staff retention, but for hiring ecommerce talent too.

Your existing staff are at the heart of your employer branding - their (hopefully) positive sentiments towards their working environment show potential candidates what is available to them should they want to work there. So, are ecommerce professionals striking a perfect balance between work and play? Is management doing enough to encourage this? Let's see what our respondents had to say...

Are ecommerce professionals happy with their work-life balance? 

We often say how fast paced the ecommerce industry is - it will always be the case. Does this mean ecommerce employees struggle with their work-life balance? 

• 57% of our respondents are happy with their work-life balance
• 27% of our respondents are not satisfied with their work-life balance
• The remaining 16% were not sure how they felt

There was a 5% decrease from 2019 for those who were happy, following a 6% decrease from 2018. So, it shows that satisfaction with ecommerce work-life balance continues to decline. There was a 5% increase of those who are unhappy, while the percentage of respondents who are unsure remains the same. If people are really not sure how they feel, does this mean we can conclude they're not happy at all?

HIRING TIP: What would help improve the work-life balance of your employees? Review your existing benefits and determine what could be done to provide more balance to those working in your team.

Are senior ecommerce management teams encouraging work-life balance?

It is often the individual who finds it hard to switch off once work hours are over. However, management can always play a part in helping employees to avoid burnout. Do our respondents think enough is being done?

Looking at their current companies, 57% believed the business was doing enough to prioritise the work-life balance of its employees. The remaining 43% disagreed - this is very reflective of the sentiments seen above. With the respondents not far from being split down the middle, is it time for companies to take a thorough look at employee wellness?

Looking deeper, we then asked if respondents felt their management could help encourage a better work-life balance. 64% said yes, which is a big increase from 36% in 2019. 25% said no, which is down from 44% last year. The remaining 11% told us they were managers, directors or owners so this responsibility is something for them to think about. Here are a few ways our respondents said management could encourage a better work-life balance...

• More openness - be more approachable
• Encourage regular working from home
• More planning on workloads
• No contact after office hours 
• Adjust start and finish hours 
• Understand roles and responsibilities better
• Run employee surveys to find out their needs

As an ecommerce leader, do you feel these suggestions are fair and doable? Have a look through and ask yourself if you feel management teams are doing these for the employees.

Download the full report for more ecommerce recruitment statistics

We hope the latest ecommerce hiring insights have given you plenty to discuss within your leadership teams. There will be more content to come, but you can download the full report below while you wait!