Work-Life Balance Gets Trickier After 35

More people feel stressed and underappreciated
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2017 1:30 PM CDT
People Over 35 Are Less Happy at Work
More people find their jobs stressful after age 35 than before.   (Getty Images / gradyreese)

The older we get, the more of us there are who don't like our jobs—at least according to a recent survey of more than 2,000 employees in the UK. Age 35 seems to be a tipping point: The number of those who are unhappy at work more than doubles from before age 35 to after, hitting one in six after age 35, reports Bloomberg. Things get worse for respondents over age 55, with a third saying they feel unappreciated at work and a sixth saying they don't have friends at work. "There comes a time when either you haven’t achieved success, work has burned you out, or lived experience tells you family is more important," one workplace researcher says. "You ask yourself: 'What am I doing this for?'"

But this one survey doesn't mean it's all bad. Fortune reports on separate research finding that workers in the later stages of their career say their skills are aligned with their work and they have more influence and freedom on the job. Many companies are getting creative with the benefits they offer, focusing on both happiness at work and stress management. CNBC reports that aviation marketing firm SimpliFlying actually requires its staff to take a week of vacation every eight weeks to "attract the top talent." For those unhappy on the job, one expert recommends making an effort to befriend coworkers and refocus on a work project that can become a passion. (One UK company has implemented a menstrual policy.)

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