RELATE Gloucestershire and Swindon has called on employers to offer flexible working and relationship support after research showed that 25 percent of people in the South West feel pressure to put work before family life.

The findings highlight the immense pressure felt by employees in Swindon, Gloucestershire and the rest of the UK to prioritise work ahead of relationships. More than a quarter of people in the South West say their boss thinks work should come before family life.

The research also found that 31 percent of employees in the South West say they feel pressured to work by their manager even when they are ill. 24 percent say that stress at home adversely affects them at work and 47 percent would like their employer to offer relationship support.

Employees struggling to balance work and family are more likely to become ill, perform less well and resign; but those satisfied with work and work-life balance are more likely to perform better and be more productive. The Labour of Love or Love vs Labour report calls for employers to aspire to offer flexible working arrangements as default and to provide free relationship support as part of Employee Assistance Programmes.

Ellaine Cameron, CEO of Relate Gloucestershire and Swindon, is encouraging managers to take notice of these statistics and prioritise good workplace relationships.

She said: “It is easier to solely focus on concrete outcomes such as sales or service performance rather than measure the subtle cultural or relational aspects that can greatly impact on an individual or team.

"Whether an employee is struggling with a relationship at work or at home, Relate Gloucestershire and Swindon can provide local relationship support for employees if this is something not provided internally or through a larger employer assistance scheme.”

To read the report in full visit bit.ly/2e4Ewy2