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Work-Life Balance Check-In: The Mental Health Foundation’s Five Steps and What GOV.UK Says About Breaks
Work-life balance is often talked about as a goal to reach. The Mental Health Foundation takes a more practical view: it is something to check regularly, adjust and check again. This guide summarises the Foundation’s page on work-life balance, including a five-step check-in and its suggestions for looking after yourself at work, and adds what GOV.UK says about rest breaks. It is general wellbeing information, not employment or medical advice. The GOV.UK guidance summarised here is UK Government guidance, and employment rules can differ in Northern Ireland, where readers should also check nidirect.
What a healthy balance means
The Foundation says a healthy work-life balance means different things to different people and is not about splitting time 50/50 between work and leisure but about feeling fulfilled and content in both areas of life. Its examples of a healthy balance include meeting deadlines while still having time for friends and hobbies, having enough time to sleep properly and eat well, and not worrying about work when at home. It acknowledges that this can be challenging with caring responsibilities or a demanding boss. It also notes that it can be easy to normalise long hours or extreme stress, especially when colleagues are in the same boat (Mental Health Foundation, “Work-life balance”). The page was last updated on 21 September 2021.
The five-step check-in
For people who can make changes, the Foundation points to research suggesting that work-life balance is “a cycle, not an achievement” and that it helps to check regularly by following five steps:
- Pause. Ask what is currently causing stress or unhappiness, how it is affecting work and personal life, what you are prioritising and what you are losing out on. The Foundation notes that people often reflect only after a major life event, such as the birth of a child or the loss of someone close.
- Pay attention to your feelings. Ask whether you feel fulfilled and happy or angry and resentful; being aware of feelings can help decide which changes to make.
- Reprioritise. Think about what needs to change, such as whether working long hours is worth losing family time.
- Consider your alternatives. Ask whether anything at work can change to meet the new priorities.
- Make changes. Examples given are asking for flexible hours, using all annual leave or not checking emails at the weekend.
The Foundation also recognises that changes are not always possible: someone on a zero-hours contract may not feel comfortable speaking up, or may need long hours to pay bills. Its advice is to try tips that “feel safe”.
Helping yourself
The Foundation’s suggestions for improving balance include:
- understanding your rights at work, with Citizens Advice named as a source of information on contracts, working hours, sick pay and parental leave;
- speaking up when the demands of work are too much, since managers need to know where the pressures are;
- working “smart, not long” by prioritising and allowing a set amount of time for each task;
- taking proper breaks, including at least half an hour for lunch and getting out of the workplace if possible;
- drawing a line between work and home, keeping a routine, a dedicated workspace and switching off when the working day ends if working from home;
- tracking working hours over weeks or months rather than days, including time spent worrying about work, which it calls a good indicator of work-related stress.
For working from home in particular, see our guide to six NHS tips on routine, breaks and boundaries.
What GOV.UK says about breaks
The Foundation notes that workers are legally entitled to certain breaks and points to GOV.UK. GOV.UK says workers over 18 are usually entitled to three types of break (GOV.UK, “Rest breaks at work”):
- Rest breaks at work: one uninterrupted 20-minute break during the working day if working more than six hours a day, which could be a tea or lunch break and which does not have to be paid, depending on the contract.
- Daily rest: 11 hours’ rest between working days.
- Weekly rest: either an uninterrupted 24 hours without work each week or an uninterrupted 48 hours each fortnight.
GOV.UK adds that an employment contract may give more or different rights to breaks. The legal minimum is shorter than the half-hour lunch the Foundation recommends as a wellbeing habit, so the two are different things: one is a right, the other is a suggestion.
What workplaces can do
The Foundation says finding balance should not be down to the individual alone. It lists things a manager and workplace should do, including encouraging a culture of openness, offering flexible and remote working where possible, encouraging breaks and use of annual leave, reviewing workloads regularly and encouraging stress-relieving activities such as lunchtime exercise or relaxation classes. Knowing this can help when preparing to raise a concern with a manager.
Questions readers often ask
Is a 20-minute break enough?
GOV.UK describes 20 minutes as the entitlement for working days over six hours. The Foundation suggests at least half an hour for lunch as good practice.
What if I cannot change my hours?
The Foundation acknowledges that changes are not always possible and suggests trying only the tips that feel safe. Where work-related stress is affecting health, speaking to a GP is a sensible step.
The bottom line
The Mental Health Foundation treats work-life balance as a regular check-in: pause, notice how you feel, reprioritise, consider alternatives and make changes, using the tips that feel safe. GOV.UK says workers over 18 are usually entitled to a 20-minute break on days over six hours, 11 hours’ daily rest and a weekly rest period, and contracts may offer more.
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