Nearly four in ten French business leaders admit to working long, intense hours without regular breaks. This is revealed by a study by the private London health insurance group Bupa, carried out from August to September 2022, and disseminated by the Bloomberg press agency.
The “Bupa Global Executive Well-being Index 2022” was based on a sample of 2,349 wealthy workers in eight countries and regions (UK, US, France, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, Hong Kong and Singapore).
Concerns about economic uncertainty
According to the authors of the study, there are several reasons why French executives exceed the world average by 25% in terms of “work addiction”.
First of all, it would be related to their concerns about the ability of their organizations to overcome the current economic instability. The second reason would be the fact that they are more reluctant to work remotely compared to their counterparts abroad. Teleworking is presented in the study as a way to more easily access personal leisure opportunities.
According to Bloomberg, these results could surprise “given the political measures and way of life around work in France.” Reference is made to the 35-hour week, summer vacations and the right to disconnect.
Mental health closely monitored globally
More broadly, the study confirms that the rising cost of living and work-life balance are top daily concerns for board members. 89% of leaders experienced symptoms of poor mental health in the last 12 months, up from 77% in 2021.
This pushes more than half (53%) of them to consider major career changes to improve their work-life balance.
Finally, only 42% believe that hybrid work (face-to-face and remote) benefits their company. By not contributing to the economic prosperity of organizations, let’s hope that telecommuting actually benefits the mental health of leaders (as the study suggests).
Source: BFM TV
