Stressed out? These 15 jobs offer the best work-life balance.
Tired of all that work, work, work, work, work?
We feel you. Rihanna feels you.
It might be time to consider a job with a little better work-life balance.
Luckily for you, recruiting site Glassdoor recently analyzed — and ranked — the professions best for employees who don't want to let their jobs completely own their free time and life, based on employee feedback data since Sept. 2015.
To make the cut, job titles had to get at least 75 work-life balance ratings from United States-based employees at a minimum of 75 companies, and include "work-life balance" or similar terms listed as a positive attribute in at least 20% of reviews. As in past years, each job is ranked by a satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5 scale, where 5 is highest.
"One thing we've noticed is work-life balance is on the decline," Glassdoor spokesperson Allison Berry said in a phone interview. "Back in 2009, [the average score for all jobs] was 3.5 and in the past few years it's been lowered to 3.2."
One of the big problems is technology, and the 24/7 nature of email, she added: "People don't feel like they can unplug from their job."
If you're sick of all that, check out the list below, ranking the 15 chillest jobs around — plus median salaries, according to Glassdoor.
15. Social media manager
Work-life balance rating: 3.8
Median salary: $54,908
These jobs generally involve representing a brand and leading community engagement — and driving traffic — on various social media platforms. You might also be expected to help with analytics of engagement on social media.
14. Library assistant
Work-life balance rating: 3.9
Median salary: $28,929
This one's pretty self-explanatory: The role might include any library job task, from helping visitors to cataloguing books.
13. Substitute teacher
Work-life balance rating: 3.9
Median salary: $25,178
A substitute teacher has to be able to fill in for a regular schoolteacher, making sure any intended lesson plan is followed and enforcing school rules and policies.
12. Scrum master
Work-life balance rating: 3.9
Median salary: $89,428
Think of this role as chief "organizer" at a company. A scrum master (a rather amorphous title, we know) is responsible for coordinating between different teams to help manage projects from inception to execution.
11. Marketing analyst
Work-life balance rating: 3.9
Median salary: $65,000
This role essentially consists of comprehensively analyzing a company's key performance indicators and then transforming that into easy-to-understand reports for management.
10. Research engineer
Work-life balance rating: 3.9
Median salary: $103,029
A research engineer collaborates with (surprise, surprise) researchers and engineers to provide a company with artificial intelligence and other innovations.
9. DevOps Engineer
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $110,000
If you think of research engineers as the people finding the best technological innovations for a company, development and operations — aka DevOps — engineers are the ones developing and managing such innovations. These roles tend to be a bit more technical.
8. Mobile developer
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $101,318
These developers lead the creation of companies' apps for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
7. Technical account manager
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $75,000
Along with providing technical help, this job generally consists of managing a company's various accounts and assisting partners or customers.
6. Recruiting coordinator
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $48,000
A recruiting coordinator is a bit like a "bouncer" for a company or organization, deciding whether or not candidates are suited for open positions.
5. UI designer
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $84,500
UI stands for "user interface" These employees lead the design for apps and online platforms — and make sure those designs help reinforce a company's business objectives.
4. Strategy manager
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $110,487
A strategy manager leads and advises on a company's strategic plans, which can involve managing talent, marketing, or other business activities at a company.
3. Data scientist
Work-life balance rating: 4.0
Median salary: $112,000
Workers in this role help analyze vast amounts of company data; tasks might include developing software or predictive models. You will likely need a strong background in statistics for this job.
2. UX designer
Work-life balance rating: 4.1
Median salary: $95,000
This job puts you in charge of the user experience across various online platforms and apps — and often requires working with a UI designer.
1. Corporate recruiter
Work-life balance rating: 4.1
Median salary: $65,000
Corporate recruiters work with people like hiring managers to help fill and develop roles at a company, particularly while it is growing. The job also typically requires making sure existing infrastructure and roles optimize the company's productivity.
