On Work-Life Wellness

Project Title: On Work-Life Wellness: An International Survey of Statisticians and Data Scientists in Multidisciplinary Settings

Statisticians and data scientists who work in multidisciplinary settings have unique roles and job responsibilities that are usually a blend of technical duties (e.g., data analysis and management, study design) and a variety of domain-specific responsibilities, among other things. Despite the buzz about statistics/data science being the sexiest job of the 21st century, most organizations, more often than not, only have a few statisticians/data scientists (in most cases, one) to support projects in multidisciplinary teams.

With a growing laundry of technical and non-technical work responsibilities, unrealistic expectations from non-statistician project leads and supervisors, and a lack of appreciation of the time required for project delivery, statisticians and data scientists in multidisciplinary settings often end up with overwhelming workloads that impact their work-life wellness. To date, there is a limited investigation of work-life wellness among statisticians and data scientists who work in multidisciplinary settings.

In this study, we seek to understand the extent to which statisticians and data scientists in multidisciplinary settings experience work-life wellness in their roles and what factors are associated with their satisfaction with work-life balance. The objectives of this study are to:

1. understand to what extent statisticians and data scientists understand the meaning of work-life balance.
2. assess the prevalence of poor work-life wellness issues among statisticians and data scientists.
3. identify the demographic and institutional factors associated with poor work-life balance among statisticians and data scientists.
4. identify commonly used approaches by statisticians and data scientists to manage work-life wellness.

To achieve the aims of this study, we are conducting an international cross-sectional survey of statisticians and data scientists in multidisciplinary settings.

Eligible study participants will include statisticians and data scientists who

1. work in a multidisciplinary/collaborative setting
2. currently and continuously employed (full-time) over the past year.
3. have a degree in (bio)statistics, mathematics, data science, and allied areas (e.g., quantitative research methodology, psychology)
4. practise in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, or South America.

This study is approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB22-1650).

To participate in this survey, please go to this link:

https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_bEqQvuVkLviv7ts 

The COVID-19 pandemic disruption of the 21st-century workforce has led many professionals to rethink their commitment to work, desire for work flexibility, and re-evaluate their relationship with work-life wellness. Findings from this study will inform the design of educational workshops for graduate programs in statistics and data science and professional societies.