Study: Better Work-Life Balance Linked with Reduced Burnout, Improved Safety Culture

​Having better work-life balance was associated with less burnout and improved safety culture, according to astudy published October 11, 2018, inBMJ Quality and Safety. The study included responses to a routine safety culture survey from 10,627 healthcare workers across 440 work settings in a large health system. Unlike previous studies of burnout that assessed whether workers report feeling burned out, this study asked participants to rate how often they engaged in behaviors that could undermine work-life balance, such as skipping meals, working without breaks, and changing personal plans for work. Researchers found that work-life balance varied significantly by healthcare worker role, length of time in specialty, and work setting.