Your boss probably thinks you have work/life balance

When it comes to understanding their employees, a lot of bosses don’t, a survey suggests today.

The “Workplace Flexibility Survey” surveyed 1,087 professionals, both employed and unemployed, and human resources professionals, Boston.com reports.

Two thirds of the HR professionals said their company’s employees have a “work-life balance,” but 45 percent of the professionals said they don’t.

One in five of the employees said they work more than 20 hours a week on personal time.

Why? Because their boss expects them to.

Elaine Varelas, a managing partner of career management service company Keystone Partners, agrees the CareerArc survey raises important concerns over the gap in work-life attitudes between employers and employees.

“When leadership and employers aren’t experiencing the same reality at work, that becomes an issue,” she told Boston.com by phone. “If employees are telling their bosses ‘I need work-life balance’ then employers need to listen.”

“If they’re not having that conversation, then leadership really loses,” she said. Varelas pointed to Monday’s snowstorm that forced many people to stay at home as an example of achieving a strong work-life balance.

“So many people worked from home and were productive,” said Varelas. “But it was understood they needed to shovel their walkways and take care of their kids. They were truly multi-tasking.”