More than 8 million jobs have been shed since the recession began, and, in many cases, those who were lucky enough to stay employed are being forced to work more.
But are they really so lucky?
According to StrategyOne, a consulting firm with offices around the U.S., Americans' work-life balance is increasingly out of whack. Nearly a third of workers say their work-life balance is off; the rate is even higher among middle-aged male workers. Forty-four percent of that group say they are spending too much time on the job and too little time with family.
It comes as little surprise that the recession has exacerbated people's work-life balance issues. Fully 38 percent of the 1,043 Americans StrategyOne surveyed say their work-life problems have gotten worse since the recession began; just 10 percent say they've gotten better.
Not only are companies requiring workers to be more productive - the psychology of the workplace may be playing a role, too. With job security looking tenuous and millions of out-of-work people vying for open positions, many employees are buckling down on the job to make themselves stand out.
Inevitably, spending more time at work means spending less time with family or friends - yet it's a tradeoff many people are having to make.
