What Are the Best HR Jobs for Work-Life Balance?
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Workers care more than ever about creating a healthy balance between their working and personal lives.
When juggling responsibilities at home with heavy workloads at the office, eventually, something has to give. And often, it’s your health. Stress plays a key role in deteriorating health and strains our relationships both at work and at home.
Some jobs are more stressful than others. But what about jobs in human resources?
HR jobs are lucrative and rewarding, especially for job seekers who care about helping people. But you can’t help others without helping yourself, so in this article, we share the best HR jobs to help you achieve a better work-life balance.
What Is Work-Life Balance?
That depends on who you ask.
A healthy work-life balance means different things to different people. In general, it refers to how workers can balance the demands of their job with the needs of their home life and still have good health and well-being.
When you work long hours and have many responsibilities at home, little time is left for personal pursuits and healthy activities.
Finding ways to relax and take care of yourself—such as exercising, getting outside, working on hobbies, or spending time with friends or family—gets pushed to the side.
Factors That Contribute to a Poor Work-Life Balance
When it comes to measuring work-life balance, there are many different aspects to consider. From the number of hours worked each week to the length of the commute, they vary from one person to the next and depend on the industry you work in and where you live.
But many people who report a poor work-life balance often have several things in common.
Their jobs may have:
- Overbearing or demanding bosses
- Long work hours or consistently having to work more than expected
- Inflexible work hours
- Rigid rules and difficulty in scheduling time off
- An ‘always on’ focus, with needing to be available 24/7 through email and text
- A lack of control in structuring work and creating regular schedules
- Excessive or unrealistic workloads
How Work-Life Balance Affects Job Satisfaction
Not surprisingly when you don’t have a reasonable work-life balance, your work often suffers.
There is a direct connection between a healthy work-life balance and job performance, productivity, and satisfaction.
The better the balance, the more productive and satisfied you are with your job. The more unbalanced, the more likely you are to have poor performance and negative feelings toward your job. These can lead to conflicts and issues that spill into your personal life.
How Work-Life Balance Affects Your Health
A poor work-life balance can wreak havoc on your health. And workers are increasingly aware of the negative impact their jobs can have on their overall well-being. Stress levels tend to rise when work and personal life responsibilities are out of balance.
And the more unbalanced they are, the more stressed you feel.
Poor work-life balance can impact both mental and physical health. From anxiety, depression, and burnout to poor sleep, high blood pressure, weight gain, and heart disease, these are all reasons to strive for a better balance.
Which Roles in HR Have Good Work-Life Balance?
Human resources professionals are often tasked with creating a better work-life balance for a company’s employees. The irony is that jobs in HR are frequently high-stress ones with poor work-life balance and high burnout rates.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some balance with a career in HR. Many human resources roles have aspects that can contribute to a better work-life fit.
Flexible Hours: Human Resources Consultant
Flexible work hours can help you create a better work-life balance. HR professionals often must be available during a company’s regular business hours to help other employees.
A human resources consultant is one role that affords a very flexible schedule—perfect for those trying to juggle home life with work. Human resources consultants may work for a consulting firm or independently.
They are contract workers often hired to solve a problem or fill a need within the HR department of a company.
HR consultants may work full- or part-time and frequently set their own hours. They may also find remote work or hybrid options that further contribute to work-life balance.
Remote Work Options: Human Resources Specialist
Many HR positions have aspects that can be done remotely. Workers may be able to arrange a hybrid schedule to do some of their work at home. And for the rest of their work—which may require face-to-face interaction—come into the office.
HR professionals who conduct hiring and onboarding may have fewer opportunities to work remotely—although newer technologies are making it more of a reality. Because of the paperwork involved and the need for in-person verification, these HR roles usually are not fully remote.
Human resources positions with better remote work options often are specialist roles. HR specialists are those with expertise in one or two areas of human resources.
Some specialist roles:
Depending on the role, an HR specialist may be able to work entirely remotely. There may be little actual paperwork to handle and less of a need to meet colleagues and other employees in person. Remote work can contribute to a healthy work-life balance. Removing the need to commute, and being available to family members, reduces much of the stress that working outside the home can bring.
One caution about remote work—be sure to draw limits on your working day. If you’re not careful, your work and personal lives will blend, and you may feel like you’re always working. Establish boundaries with family members and have consistent work start and stop times.
High Autonomy: Staffing and Recruiting
Autonomy means that workers have more independence and control over choosing when and how they complete the tasks they must do.
Workers in positions with high autonomy generally have higher job satisfaction. They are less stressed and have better feelings of work-life balance.
All positions within HR typically have some levels of independence associated with them. However, among them, staffing and recruiting roles have an especially high level of autonomy.
Staffing and recruiting positions often come with the freedom to choose where to source potential employees, who to contact and when, and the ability to make decisions about which candidates to invite to interview.
These freedoms allow workers to organize their workloads and structure their days in ways that are best for them, leading to a healthier work-life balance.
Work-Life Balance is Achievable in HR
Human resources professionals can achieve a better work-life balance. Look for those positions that offer flexible schedules or have remote options. Whether your focus is on healthier living, time for personal interests, or spending time with your family, you don’t have to leave HR to find it.
