Three-quarters of employees say it is their responsibility, not that of their employer, to achieve a satisfactory work-life balance, according to new research.

And 70% are concerned about their personal life affecting their performance at work, says a survey conducted by psychologist Richard MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, of talent management consultancy Talent Q, told Recruiter that employers should do more to offer their staff the chance to reach a work-life balance they are happy with, rather than simply offering the standard statutory options.

“Organisations will approach the idea of work-life balance from two directions – the statutory direction or be more innovative, and offer things like a menu of options which an employee can choose from, such a flexible working.

“You are damaging a person’s work-life balance if you ask them to work crazy hours.”

MacKinnon argues that senior figures in a business can set an example to other staff when it comes to balancing work and home life. “If the management population is walking the talk then employees will feel better about asking for flexible working and the like.”

A total of 39% of those surveyed said they’d had to sacrifice some aspect of work-life balance to keep their job during the recession, and less than half (44%) feel this balance will improve after the downturn.

In the survey, employees from the public sector felt they had to work longer hours to manage their workload than those working for private organisations, and single people and women contended that reducing their working hours, even temporarily, would harm their careers.

Women also felt, according to the research, that they should work long hours and be available all the time.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to work-life balance,” MacKinnon continues. “Employers have a duty of care towards their staff, but employees have to be aware of the nature of their job and engage with the issue of work-life balance.”

MacKinnon conducted his research using social networking sites as a vehicle for his surveys. He spoke at the recent British Psychological Society’s conference in Brighton on the subject of work-life balance.