How do you achieve work-life balance in surveying?

As someone who admits to setting exceptionally high standards, Johnson says achieving a healthy work-life balance has been a challenge throughout much of her 30-year career. 

Having worked as a valuation surveyor, in the Cabinet Office, as head of learning and development for the Government Property Profession, and as deputy head of profession at the Valuation Office Agency before joining RICS in March, Johnson says the imbalance has often been self-imposed rather than expected by others.

“It’s been there for much of my career,” she says, adding, “not because anyone has told me I needed to work long hours, but because of the expectations I’ve placed on myself and what I believed I should contribute as a professional.”

The issue is endemic. Around 91% of UK adults have faced high stress in the workplace at some point in the past 12 months and one in five has needed to take time off due to poor mental health, according to Mental Health UK’s Burnout Report 2026.

A separate survey on workplace culture and trends cites multiple reasons for stress or burnout: ‘always-on’ culture, excessive workloads, no boundaries with flexible working, economic strains like cost of living, and negative news from global economic woes and wars.

On any given day in 2025/26 its support team had an active caseload of 167. Among this number were many surveyors trying to balance the needs of work, study or revision with their personal lives and responsibilities, says Jo Grant, LionHeart’s training and wellbeing projects manager: “We also supported increasing numbers of neurodivergent people or those with health conditions who faced significant challenges.”

Strides have been made in construction – despite the sector being 85% male and not traditionally open when it comes to talking about personal difficulties. There is still a way to go and mental health awareness remains “relatively low across the industry as a whole,” says Dr Tim Whitehill, co-founder of the Save Construction Initiative.

“Construction is still a highly commercial, deadline-driven and margin-sensitive sector, and the pressure to deliver projects on time, manage cost risk and respond to client demands often prevails over the aspiration to create healthier working patterns,” he says.

Spotting the signs of those suffering has improved because of project teams developing more sensitivity and awareness between colleagues, says Whitehill: “These working relationships can make it easier to notice when someone may be struggling.”

Natalie Barnicott, head of people at CBRE UK&I, says small changes provide the biggest clues. People might be quieter, less engaged or appear more overwhelmed than usual. “It’s why regular, meaningful conversations are so important,” she says. “Managers who take time to really know their teams are much more likely to notice when support is needed.”

She says people must feel able to speak honestly about how they feel and seek support without fear of judgement. Normalising those conversations starts with leaders and managers setting the tone and encouraging wellbeing.

Grant agrees. Surveying remains a pressured and demanding profession where many people still find it hard to admit to psychological strain, she says, adding: “Flexible or hybrid working can be a brilliant tool to manage the demands of work and life, but it can sometimes blur the boundaries. The parent who has done a school pick-up might end up working on reports or emails late into the evening to compensate.”

The best organisations recognise that supporting employees is not a standalone initiative but a daily consideration, says Barnicott. CBRE has invested in employee assistance programmes, mental health education, mental health first aiders and opportunities for open conversations, with a mandate on making support visible, accessible, and easy to navigate.

Sirah Parkes FRICS is the director of an SME, Invest Surveying, and also chair of RICS East Midlands Regional Board. She says that, as a director, achieving good work-life balance can be harder because you are personally responsible for a much wider range of activities:  “There are fewer layers of support, and it can be difficult to switch off when so many aspects of the business ultimately rest with you."

However, for employees, she believes that an SME can offer a more supportive and flexible environment. “Relationships tend to be closer, making it easier to understand people’s family circumstances, personal responsibilities and individual needs,” says Parkes. “When the right culture exists, everyone pulls together, goes the extra mile and can see how their contribution affects the success of the business. That visibility can create a strong sense of loyalty and shared responsibility, which may be harder to achieve in a much larger organisation.”

Ultimately though, it depends less on the size of the business than on the quality of its leadership, relationships and culture, says Parkes. “Larger organisations may have more formal wellbeing resources and programmes, but they can sometimes be far removed from the individual. In my experience, when financial pressures lead to cost-cutting, it is often the cultural and people-focused support that is lost first.

“Organisations can publish impressive cultural statements, but the most meaningful evidence is found in their retention. Look at who is leaving, who remains and how long people doing comparable roles choose to stay. For me, that provides the clearest indication of whether the culture and wellbeing provision are genuinely working.”

Being around colleagues is important, says Johnson: “From an RICS perspective, we want people to be in our offices because we want to build cross-team working […] and create a sense of community.”

Joe Higgs is an assistant building surveyor and fourth year apprentice at Workman. He says: “Reaching out to and networking with others going through that same shared experience of juggling university studies, work deadlines, and APC preparation is really helpful.” 

He adds that joining his regional RICS Matrics committee and meeting other young professionals showed “you are not alone during a [demanding] period and it helps by providing reassurance, encouragement, and support from your peers”.

Most people aim to have a good work-life balance, some achieve it and others need a little help to get there. Raising a hand to ask for support should not be the difficult part.

LionHeart

Those affected by mental health issues or needing help and advice can contact LionHeart: 

-       Free helpline - 0800 009 2960 or 044 121 289 3300 from outside the UK

-       Email: info@lionheart.org.uk

-       Find out more about who LionHeart helps

SME Business Support Hub

Explore tools and resources from RICS to help your SME. 

RICS Matrics

The early career community, designed to support individuals from their student years through to their first 10 years of RICS qualification.
 

In the UK, a network of 29 local committees offer networking events, site visits, seminars, webinars, and candidate support sessions, complemented by dedicated RICS resources.