Achieving a balance between our working lives and our home and personal lives is something many people are constantly striving for. Work is not just paid employment, carers (e.g. parents) and housewives and husbands are also workers, searching for a sense of balance.

The Wellbeing 2002 research by Boots The Chemists showed that of the 5 most relevant factors in achieving a high sense of wellbeing, a sense of feeling in control of life and the direction it takes was key.

The research shows that our sense of wellbeing does not necessarily increase with every pay packet, in fact, part time workers are generally more content with their working life and they particularly feel they have control over their working day.

Michelle Harrison from The Henley Centre commented, “It seems likely that the importance given to ‘feeling in control’ relates to the increase in the element of risk in our lives and the burden of choice. As employment patterns have become more unstable and the levels of trust that we place in the ‘bastions of society’ (Politics, Doctors etc) has fallen it is hardly surprising that the ability to manage and cope is so important to us. We believe we should do it all; we hadn’t quite realised it would be such hard work.”