With thanks to all who participated in my latest Weekend Poll, we’re looking at whether assistants maintain or blur boundaries between their business and personal lives.

This is the fourth year we’ve looked at this topic

This marks the fourth consecutive year in which I posed questions to encourage readers to reflect on how much you work, and the extent to which you maintain boundaries between personal and business lives. With thanks to all who participated, here are your responses to my question: Do you consider yourself a high performer or a workaholic?

Almost half say you’ve reached a happy medium

In each of the last four years, a progressively higher percentage of readers has identified as having reached a happy medium. This year, 46% of you said you’ve reached this state, compared to 37%, 32% and 21.5% of respondents in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that there have been shifts in the percentages of respondents who identify as either high performers or workaholics. The percentage of respondents who identified as workaholics has continued to decline over each of the past four years. The first time I posed this question, in 2017, 26% of respondents owned this status. That percentage dipped to 22% in 2018, 18% in 2019, and 14% with this latest poll.

Perhaps we are reassessing what it means to be a high performer

The first time I posed this question, in 2017, 48% of respondents claimed “high performer” status. That percentage dipped to 36% in 2018, popped up to 39% in 2019, and then dipped to 31% with this latest poll.

I think that such a reassessment is warranted, particularly when we consider that 60% of this year’s respondents reported that they typically check their business email before departing from home each morning. In fact, when you look at the data, below, you’ll find that two of every five respondents report that they’re on business email from home at least six days a week.

How many hours a day do you commit to your career?

Almost a third of respondents (32%) this year said you typically spend nine hours a day at the office. It’s unsurprising that a lower percentage, 26%, reported working eight hours or less at the office each day.

While 37% of respondents reported rarely or never working from home outside work hours, 26% of respondents said you do so on a daily basis – above and beyond the time already put in during office hours. A total of 31% of respondents reported working additional hours from home 11 or more days in a typical month.

Does your principal (boss) realise how much time you’re putting in?

This year marked the first time I asked readers whether your principals realise just how much you work from home in addition to your office hours.

The good news: 44% of respondents replied affirmatively. Almost one in four respondents (24%) said their principals are aware to some extent, but that they (the assistants) downplay this. An additional 12% said no; they don’t want people thinking they can’t keep up with the pace.

Why do we downplay this, or have concerns that people may think you’re unable to keep up with the pace? If it was a matter of lack of technical or organisational skills, that would be one thing.

Why do you typically work extra hours?

However, when I asked readers who work extra hours why you typically do so,  none of you selected the response option I provided to indicate that skills or lack of experience are among the factors.

Being relatively new in the role was a factor for 6% of respondents, while workload – including unexpected projects or situations – was the dominant factor for 69% of respondents. To lesser extents, events (14% of respondents) and meetings (11% of respondents) played in to peoples’ commitment to working additional hours. 

Ideas on establishing boundaries, or a healthy balance

If you’ve developed boundaries that work for you and your employer, or found success in keeping your personal life relatively free of career demands, take a minute to comment on this post and offer your strategies. I’ll publish a post highlighting readers’ comments on this and prior polls on this topic.

THE DATA

1. Do you consider yourself a high performer or a workaholic?

• High performer: 31% of respondents, compared to 39% in 2019, 36% in 2018 and 48% in 2017
• I’ve reached a happy medium: 46% of respondents, compared to 37% in 2019, 32% in 2018 and 21.5% in 2017
• Workaholic: 14% of respondents, compared to 18% in 2019, 22% in 2018 and 26% in 2017
• What’s the difference?: 9% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019, 10% in 2018 and 4.5% in 2017

2. What do you think of research findings that “… while a ban (on out-of-hours emails) could help some staff switch off, it could also stop people achieving work goals, causing stress”? 

• 66% of respondents: I agree; different people approach work and goals differently 
• 22% of respondents: I  disagree; how have we as a society reached such a state?
•  9% of respondents: I disagree; it’s total rubbish
•  3% of respondents: I agree; it would stress me out

3. How frequently do you typically check and respond to business emails from home?

• Never: 11% of respondents, compared to 1% in 2019, 6% in 2018 and 8% in 2017
• Rarely: 29% of respondents, compared to 17% in 2019, 16% in 2018 and 17% in 2017
• Daily: 34% of respondents, compared to 42% in 2019, 37% in 2018 and 42% in 2017
• Six days a week: 6% of respondents, compared to 8% in 2019, 7% in 2018 and 2% in 2017
• Five days a week: 3% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019 and 2018, and 15% in 2017
• Four days a week: 0% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 6% in 2018 and 2% in 2017
• Three days a week: 6% of respondents, compared to 1% in 2019, 10% in 2018 and 2% in 2017
• Two days a week: 6% of respondents, compared to 7% in 2019 and 9% in both 2018 and 2017
• One day a week: 6% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019, 3% in 2018 and 4% in 2017

4. Do you typically check business email before departing home in the morning?

• Yes: 60% of respondents, compared to 67% of respondents in 2019 and 63% in 2018, the first year I posed this question
• No: 40% of respondents, compared to 33% of respondents in 2019 and 37% in 2018 

5. Do you typically check email or otherwise work during your commute?

• Yes: 24% of respondents, compared to 47% of respondents in 2019 and 39% in 2018, the first year I posed this question
• No: 35% of respondents, compared to 53% of respondents in 2019 and 61% in 2018  
• No, but that’s because I drive; otherwise, I probably would: 41% of respondents (this marked the first time I provided this particular response option)

6. How many hours do you typically spend in the office each day?

• <7 hours: 0% of respondents
• 7 hours:  9% of respondents, compared to 3% in 2019, 4% in 2018 and 7% in 2017
• 7 – 8 hours:  17% of respondents, compared to 13% in 2019, 15% in 2018 and 21% in 2017
• 8 – 9 hours:  43% of respondents, compared to 35% in 2019, 40% in 2018 and 30% in 2017
• 9 – 10 hours:  26% of respondents, compared to 38% in 2019, 29% in 2018 and 32% in 2017
• 10 – 11 hours:  3% of respondents, compared to 7% in 2019, 10% in 2018 and 22% in 2017
• 11 – 12 hours:  3% of respondents, compared to 1% in 2019, 2% in 2018 and 5% in 2017
• More than 12 hours:  0% of respondents, compared to 3% in 2019 and 0% in both 2018 and 2017

7. How frequently do you work from home outside office hours?

• Never:  14% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019 and 2018, and 11.5% in 2017
• Rarely:  23% of respondents, compared to 24% in 2019, 25% in 2018 and 17% in 2017
• Once or twice a quarter: 9% of respondents, compared to 13% in 2019, 4% in 2018 and 15% in 2017
• Almost daily:  23% of respondents, compared to 215 in 2019, 15% in 2018 and 27% in 2017
• Once or twice a month:  22% of respondents, compared to 15% in 2018 and 6% in 2017
• 3 – 5 days a month:  3% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 12% in 2018 and 11.5% in 2017
• 6 – 10 days a month:  3% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 15% in 2018 and 0% in 2017
• 11 to 15 days a month:  6% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019, 8% in 2018 and 6% in 2017
• > 15 days a month: 0% of respondents (this marked the first time I provided this response option)
• Note: In 2017, 6% of respondents selected “Other” and offered comments.

8. Does your principal (boss) realise how much you work from home outside office hours? Note: this marks the first year I posed this question.

• 44% of respondents: Yes
• 0% of respondents: Yes; it’s expected
• 24% of respondents: To some extent; I downplay this
• 20% of respondents: No
• 12% of respondents: No; I don’t want people thinking I can’t keep up with the pace

9. How frequently do workload or events require that you work longer than the traditional work day?

• Never:  0% of respondents, compared to 0% in 2019 and 2018, and 2% in 2017
• Rarely:  11% of respondents, compared to 11% in 2019, 18% in 2018 and 4% in 2017
• Almost daily:  17% of respondents, compared to 28% in 2019,  15% in 2018 and 27% in 2017
• Once or twice a quarter: 11% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 13% in 2018 and 13% in 2017
• 1 – 2 days a month:  23% of respondents, compared to 11% in 2019, 12% in 2018 and 19% in 2017
• 3 – 5 days a month*:  6% of respondents, compared to 17% in 2019, 18% in 2018 and 6% in 2017
• 6 – 10 days a month*:  17% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 12% in 2018 and 17% in 2017
• 11 to 15 days a month:  9% of respondents, compared to 8% in 2019,  10% in both 2018 and 2017
• >15 days a month: 6% of respondents
• *I made slight adjustments to these categories in 2018; they were previously “twice a year” and “6-10 days a month”
• This time, I discontinued a previous response option, “Once or twice a year”, which was selected by 5% of respondents in 2019, 2% in 2018 and 2% in 2017

10. What’s the latest (rounded up to the next hour) you’ve ever worked in the evening?

• I start early instead and work long hours: 3% of respondents, compared to 5% in 2019
• 6:00 PM:  0% of respondents, compared to 6% in 2019, 14% in 2018 and 6% in 2017
• 7:00 PM:  9% of respondents, compared to 14% in 2019, 5% in 2018 and 10% in 2017
• 8:00 PM:  15% of respondents, compared to 15% in 2019, 14% in 2018 and 11% in 2017
• 9:00 PM:  15% of respondents, compared to 14% in 2019, 17% in 2018 and 19% in 2017
• 10:00 PM:  12% of respondents, compared to 13% in 2019, 14% in 2018 and 13% in 2017
• 11:00 PM:  24% of respondents, compared to 8% in 2019, 11% in 2018 and 10% in 2017
• midnight:  12% of respondents, compared to 10% in 2019, 14% in 2018 and 7.5% in 2017
• 1:00 AM:  5% of respondents, compared to 3% in 2019, 4% in both 2018 and 2017
• 2:00 AM:  0% of respondents, compared to 1% in 2019, 4% in 2018 and 2% in 2017
• 3:00 AM:  5% of respondents, compared to  4% in 2019, 73% in 2018 and .5% in 2017

11. Does your principal (boss) realise how much extra time you put in at the office? Note: this marks the first year I posed this question.

• 46% of respondents: Yes
•  3% of respondents: Yes; it’s expected
• 26% of respondents: To some extent; I downplay this
• 23% of respondents: No
•  2% of respondents: No; I don’t want people thinking I can’t keep up with the pace

12. Which of these best describes the reason you typically work extra hours?

• Workload, including unexpected projects/situations:  69% of respondents, compared to 67% in 2019, 61% in 2018 and 57% in 2017
• Events: 14% of respondents, compared to 25% in 2019, 30% in 2018 and 22.5% in 2017
• Meetings: 11% of respondents, compared to 80% in 2019, 9% in 2018 and 20.5% in 2017
• I’m still relatively new in the role: 6% of respondents – note that this is the first year I provided this response option:
• My skills and/or lack of experience are among the factors: 0% of respondents – note that this is the first year I provided this response option

13. Are you compensated for hours worked above and beyond the stated schedule?

• Yes, I’m financially compensated:  20% of respondents, compared to 28% in 2019, 20% in 2018 and 15% in 2017
• Yes, I’m compensated in time off – and I take it:  40% of respondents, compared to 26% in 2019, 21% in 2018 and 18.5% in 2017
• Yes, I’m compensated in time off – but don’t usually take that time:  11% of respondents, compared to 15% in 2019, 13% in 2018 and 18.5% in 2017
• No:  29% of respondents, compared to 31% in 2019, 46% in 2018 and 48% in 2017