Work or Home? Americans Reveal Their Priority

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American workers say their personal lives won't get in the way of achieving their work goals this year nor will their jobs keep them from keeping their personal New Year's resolutions.

A majority (75 percent) of people say that they do not think their personal life will inhibit them from keeping their professional resolutions this year, a new survey shows. And almost as many (72 percent) say they don't think their professional life will stop them from keeping their personal resolutions.

But if conflict arises, the professional takes a back seat to the personal, according to a survey of 1,000 workers sponsored by Adecco, a provider of recruitment and work force solutions.

 More than half (51 percent) of people say they accomplished their personal resolutions last year, while far fewer (18 percent) accomplished their professional resolutions. But not accomplishing resolutions is equal opportunity; almost one-third (30 percent) did not accomplish either their personal or their professional resolutions last year.

And when it comes to keeping resolutions, the odds are stacked against the professional, the survey found. Most people (80 percent) predict they will be more likely to keep their personal resolutions this year, while only one-fifth (20 percent) say they will be more likely to keep professional resolutions.

Workers aren't shy about pronouncing their priorities, the survey found. Of those who believe they will be more likely to keep their personal resolutions, more than two-thirds (68 percent) say their personal life is more important than their professional career.

But sometimes work does interfere, the survey found. More than one-fifth (23 percent) also admitted that they neglected to make their personal life a priority last year because of work.

Money and family obligations are key drivers of keeping professional resolutions, Adecco found. Of those who believe they will be more likely to keep their professional resolutions, the majority (60 percent) say they are recommitting to their career to make more money this year. More than one-third (34 percent), also say their family depends of them to keep their job.

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith and BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.