Work-life balance and work engagement across the European workforce: a comparative analysis of welfare states

Few large-scale, comparative studies have examined both the positive mental well-being outcomes of work-life balance and the broader socio-economic context by which it is shaped. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between work-life balance and work engagement across a wide range of European welfare states, as well as to examine whether work-life balance varies across European countries and whether this variance can be explained by welfare regime, controlling for individual-level factors.

This study utilized data from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey. In total, 35 401 workers from 30 European countries could be classified into the adopted welfare regime typology. Work engagement was measured using an ultra-short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and work-life balance with a question on the fit between working hours and family or social commitments. Due to the hierarchical structure of the data, multilevel regression models were applied.

A statistically significant positive association between work-life balance and work engagement across the European workforce was found. Between-country variance in work-life balance was demonstrated and this can in part be explained by welfare regime.

While it has long been recognized that occupational stress and work-related mental health problems are shaped by the socio-economic context and thus regarded as public health concerns in Europe, our results suggest that this applies to well-being at work and related support factors as well.