Whether you love your job or not, it isn’t fun when it takes up all of your free time. This may negatively impact your life and increase your chances of experiencing burnout. According to a Spring Health survey from 2020, about one in 10 people have experienced a complete burnout. Millions of people are looking for work-life balance, more now than ever.
Work-life balance may mean something different to everyone, depending on your personal preferences and needs. This article will give you information about what work-life balance is, the best jobs for work-life balance, what companies have a balanced work culture, and 10 of the highest-paying jobs for work-life balance.
What Is a Work-Life Balance?
A work-life balance is, simply put, having enough time to attend to both your work and personal life duties, including having time to socialize and blow off steam in your daily life. Being paid an adequate annual salary so that you can take time off for rejuvenation is also an important work-life balance factor.
Ultimately, achieving a perfect balance between work and home is the goal. To achieve this, there are a few tips you need to apply to yourself. Firstly, loving your career is certainly a big part of maintaining balance as it relates to your associated emotions and behaviors towards work.
Setting goals and priorities and working towards them will help, too. Your health is important, and that includes your ability to take much-needed time to recharge. It also means you need to learn to adequately switch off and set times for work and times for personal activities, like having family time and time for friends.
What Jobs Are Available for Work-Life Balance?
Generally speaking, there are a few things most people need in order to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Most of the best jobs for work-life balance have these practices in common. They are, being able to set your own schedule, having the option to work part-time, and only being required to work within normal working hours, so no mandatory overtime.
There are many types of jobs with a wide work-life balance scope. There are opportunities for balanced employment across virtually all sectors of business. You can, for example, work in corporate jobs like finance and accounting, become an engineer, or even work as a fitness instructor.
To help you achieve a healthy work-life balance, we’ve put together the following information for you on companies that are hiring for positions with high life balance ratings.
Companies That are Known for Work-Life Balance
- Acuity Insurance. Acuity is an insurance company that offers property and loss of property insurance for individuals and businesses throughout the US. Acuity Insurance was rated 3.8 out of five stars by its employees, with time and location flexibility being one of the top three things most liked.
- Digital Prospectors. Digital Prospectors is a staffing and recruiting business that employs between 200 and 500 people. Reviews from the staff of this company reveal a four out of five-star rating with work-life balance on Indeed as one of the highest-ranked aspects. This company’s work-life balance is rated 4.8 out of five stars.
- CoverMyMeds. CoverMyMeds is a healthcare IT services and consulting business in the US, employing between 1,000 and 5,000 staff. It’s rated at 3.5 out of five stars by staff reviews, with work-life balance being noted one of the top-ranked topics. Work-life balance at CoverMyMeds is rated 4.8 out of five stars.
- Bergstrom Automotive. Bergstrom Automotive is a motor vehicle manufacturing business that also retails motor vehicles in various ways. They have between 1,000 and 5.000 staff and have been reviewed by staff at 3.6 out of five stars with work-life balance as one of the top reasons. The work-life balance rating at Bergstrom Automotive is at 4.8 out of five stars.
- OutboundEngine. OutboundEngine is a marketing services business that has between 200 and 500 employees. Ranked at a 4.6 out of five stars by its employees, it has an equal rating for the topic of work-life balance. Work-life balance at OutboundEngine, according to Glassdoor, is 4.7 out of five stars.
10 Highest-Paying Jobs for for Work Life Balance
| Job Title | Average Salary | Top 10% Salary |
| Digital Marketing Manager | $141,490 | $208,000 |
| Mobile Developer | $110,140 | 170,100 |
| Software Engineer | $110,140 | 170,100 |
| Project Analyst | $87,660 | $156,840 |
| Accountant | $73,560 | $128,680 |
| Marketing Analyst | $65,810 | $127,410 |
| Human Resource Recruiter | $63,490 | $109,350 |
| Middle School Teacher | $60,810 | $98,840 |
| Social Media Manager | $56,770 | $94,000 |
| Fitness Instructor | $40,510 | $76,550 |
The careers listed above are quite varied, offering a wide scope of possibilities for you to find a job that will allow you to maintain a healthy work-life balance. These could be full-time jobs, part-time positions, and in some cases, a freelance basis offering flexible hours. Let’s get into some detail about these balanced jobs below.
Digital Marketing Manager
Digital marketing managers design, manage, and execute digital marketing campaigns for the purposes of both long-term and short-term promotional strategies. Increasing brand awareness and drawing in consumers ultimately creates sales for a business, so digital marketing managers aid in business development requirements.
Digital marketing requires some technical skills that are key to success. Normally, to become a digital marketer, you would need a college degree, but you can also snag this role by attending a bootcamp. This job can be done at an office or from home, meaning there is an opportunity for a more flexible schedule by negotiating remote work with your employer or by working as a freelancer.
Mobile Developer
A mobile developer works to create and design apps, then maintain them with updates. Working with Android or iOS, the mobile developer is usually aligned with the company’s user experience (UX) designer to ensure satisfied users. Mobile developers maintain the business’ marketing strategies and achieve the demands of clients.
Some developer positions may require a bachelor’s degree. Technical skills can be acquired pretty quickly with bootcamps, which allow you to become a mobile developer. There is also the option to work remotely, depending on your preference.
Software Engineer
A software engineer designs, enhances, and maintains various software systems in a business. A software engineer can be found performing bug fixes, analyzing needs for creating new software, and catering to users’ needs. Knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and technical languages such as Java, C++, or Ruby on Rails are major players in this career.
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This job typically requires at least a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. However, self-taught engineers and software engineering bootcamp graduates have gained access to entry-level careers in this field. This career also offers job satisfaction in the form of catering to your creative and technical skills.
Project Analyst
A project analyst works with a project manager, planning and maintaining various aspects of projects. They collect, clean up, analyze and provide data. A project manager needs to make big-picture decisions, using skills like statistical programming, AI and machine learning, researching, data cleaning, and data visualization.
Gaining access to employment as a project analyst usually requires a degree. Self-taught analysts and bootcamp certificated professionals have also gained entry to a project analysis career. This is also another career offering scope for remote work, potentially meaning more personal time and a positive impact on workers’ social lives, too, which are important parts of a balance between career and life.
Accountant
An accountant keeps and decodes financial data. Performing various tasks for private clients or businesses. Using skills in analysis, reporting, knowledge of taxing, and managerial and cost accounting. Accountants can work in law firms, or even in the communications industry among others.
You need an accounting bachelor’s for employment as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). There are a few states that allow people to pass the CPA exam and operate without a degree. Bootcamps offer some helpful credentials and alternative educational programs.
Marketing Analyst
A marketing analyst tracks and predicts marketing and sales patterns, and develops and analyzes different ways of collecting data and evaluating the success of strategic marketing campaigns. Using statistical software for the analysis of data from consumers, competitors, and the marketplace, a marketing analyst decodes complicated data and prepares reports for a business.
Sometimes a degree is needed to become a marketing analyst. However, most educational institutions don’t offer specific undergraduate degrees for this role. Bootcamps do, however, offer the related courses that can get you started. This is another creative and technical job offering the opportunity to set your own flexible shifts since it can be done remotely.
Human Resource Recruiter
A human resource (HR) recruiter sources, screens, vets, and recommends appropriate candidates for prescribed positions within their company. They use skills in listening, communication, attentive detailing, and marketing, among others.
Most human resources recruiters have at least a human resources bachelor’s degree. If you’re just getting started, you can enroll in a bootcamps with flexible learning options. You could also apply for an internship to accumulate experience, with paid internships offered in this field.
Middle School Teacher
A middle school teacher teaches children aged 11 to 13, focusing on topics like English, math, science, history, and foreign languages. Using their honed skills of patience, persistence, and adaptability, middle school teachers ultimately instill a love of learning in their students. You must love working with children to flourish in this role.
Most public schools require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree and to be licensed as teachers. Online bootcamps offer a great opportunity to fast-track or work on more flexible education options. In this role, there is an opportunity to work as either a permanent teacher or substitute teacher, giving you the option of flexibility in schedule.
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Social Media Manager
Social media managers manage, maintain, and promote a company’s social media. They engage users with conversation, implement marketing strategies they design, share content to stimulate consumer activity to increase sales, and maintain the brand’s identity. They usually work with the company’s marketing and content teams for each marketing project.
While some of these positions may require degrees, there are also great bootcamps available that will train you from start to finish and even offer interview preparation. If you’ve got self-taught skills, you could manage your own social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram and successfully gain a large following, thereby securing employment.
Fitness Instructor
A fitness instructor instructs fitness activities to their clients, either one-on-one or in groups. Their goals are to improve their clients’ fitness and health to help with weight loss, depending on the clients’ needs, health, and body type. As a fitness instructor, you could work for a gym or you could work privately on a freelance basis.
A degree is not a must to gain employment as a fitness instructor. It does, however, increase your options, and in some cases includes higher remuneration. If you want to be a fitness instructor, there are flexible schedules available through bootcamps, and it is possible to graduate within a few weeks.
Tips for Finding Work-Life Balance
Listed above are only some of the kinds of jobs that can offer a work-life balance. The key is to choose a role that engages and propels your professional and personal growth, so that you love what you do, no matter how you’re spending your time. Below you’ll find some tips for finding a good work-life balance.
Once you find that magic role, there are a few things you can do to manage your ability to achieve a work-life balance. Here are some work-life balance tips for you.
- Decide what work-life balance is right for you. Decide how much time you are willing and able to give to both work and your personal life. You may wish to work afternoons and evenings or you might want to work the normal nine-to-five office job. Alternatively, you may need to work from home on a freelance basis.
- Prioritize your health. You need to be healthy to adequately attend to both personal and work-related duties, so prioritize your health and take it seriously. If you don’t respect your health, others won’t either, whether you work on-site or remotely.
- Take breaks. Make sure you take short breaks throughout the day to stay focused and productive, as well as to keep from feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Be sure not to work during your breaks, whether you’re working at home or in the office.
- Be disciplined and work towards goals. Manage your performance by setting goals for yourself, prioritizing tasks to complete, and monitoring your progress. This will help you successfully complete tasks. Additionally, having a designated workspace when working from home is an important part of staying disciplined as a remote worker.
- Talk to your superiors. Managing expectations is an important part of maintaining your mental health. You can do this by being upfront and communicating with your manager, honestly relaying what is possible in terms of your ability to achieve deadlines, instead of accepting unrealistic deadlines, especially during busy periods.
Jobs for Work-Life Balance Outlook
It is a wide range of 7 percent to as much as 22 percent. This is good news and reveals loads of opportunities for you to find a career path that offers a balanced lifestyle, even if that means reinventing your career. You have the choice of many online courses, bootcamps, and degrees with flexible schedules, meaning you put in the additional hours when you can.
Conventional careers are morphing into something new and exciting. According to a survey by FlexJobs, up to 58 percent of people want to work remotely, since remote work offers people flexible schedules and a well-balanced lifestyle.
Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance FAQ
There are a variety of jobs you could choose to achieve a work-life balance. Some of these jobs include content manager, client manager, digital marketing manager, social media manager, fitness instructor, middle school teacher, human resource recruiter, and many others.
Yes, there are companies that are known to have a good work-life balance. We have listed five in this article, but you can find more by searching for the best-rated companies for work-life balance.
No, you don’t need a degree to get a job with a healthy work-life balance. Some balanced careers require degrees, but not all of them. There are also opportunities to study online with self-paced, flexible schedules, and taking online bootcamps could put you on a level playing field with college graduates.
You can earn a decent annual salary in a job with a good work-life balance, depending on the hours you want to commit to working. Median salaries range from $40,510 to $141,490, and the top 10 percent of earners make between $76,550 and $208,000 per year.
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