E
ecsider
Guest
I'm so encouraged to see this. I personally find people are more productive and effective in their jobs when they have a healthy dose of social/personal activities.
I pity those who slave away for 70+ hours a week. I made a decision to leave that world to be in a work environment that remains challenging but flexible enough to allow me to work at home or take vacation. I didn't take a severe pay cut either. Recruiters still call me to return to the 70+ hr work life. I say thanks, but no thanks!
Canadians beginning to shun office life
SCOTT DEVEAU
Globe and Mail Update
Canadian's priorities are shifting away from the office towards a more balanced personal life, according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday.
According to the survey, conducted by Workopolis, an online job search site, family has become more important to Canadians than their careers, reversing the priorities they held five years ago when a persons' career took the top spot.
In 2001, when the online survey was last conducted, 37 per cent of respondents said their career was their top priority. At that time, only 31 per cent said that their family was most important part of their life.
Those priorities have changed, however, with 44 per cent of respondents now saying family was the most important aspect of their life, while only 31 per cent said their career was. And more than a third of those surveyed said they would leave their job for better work/life balance, compared to only 14 per cent who said they would five years ago.
Of the employers surveyed, work/life balance has replaced leaving for a higher salary as the top reason an employee gives for quitting their job.
"There's been a significant shift in what matters to Canadian job seekers -- family has replaced career development as our number one life priority," said Patrick Sullivan, president of Workopolis, said in a statement Wednesday. "Smart employers will recognize this shift and create a workplace that allows people to nurture both their personal and professional lives."
With those results, it's little surprise then that more people are saying in 2006 that career advancement plays second fiddle to family.
There is also less of a discrepancy between the sexes. Whereas five years ago men were more likely to favour their career over their families than women (40 per cent compared to 34 per cent), in 2006, both sexes reported the same, higher priority on family (44 per cent).
Alberta was found to be most family-oriented, with nearly half of respondents saying family is the most important part of their lives.
The online poll was completed by 2,600 Canadians across the country on the Workopolis website between Feb. 28 and March 2 of this year.
I pity those who slave away for 70+ hours a week. I made a decision to leave that world to be in a work environment that remains challenging but flexible enough to allow me to work at home or take vacation. I didn't take a severe pay cut either. Recruiters still call me to return to the 70+ hr work life. I say thanks, but no thanks!
Canadians beginning to shun office life
SCOTT DEVEAU
Globe and Mail Update
Canadian's priorities are shifting away from the office towards a more balanced personal life, according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday.
According to the survey, conducted by Workopolis, an online job search site, family has become more important to Canadians than their careers, reversing the priorities they held five years ago when a persons' career took the top spot.
In 2001, when the online survey was last conducted, 37 per cent of respondents said their career was their top priority. At that time, only 31 per cent said that their family was most important part of their life.
Those priorities have changed, however, with 44 per cent of respondents now saying family was the most important aspect of their life, while only 31 per cent said their career was. And more than a third of those surveyed said they would leave their job for better work/life balance, compared to only 14 per cent who said they would five years ago.
Of the employers surveyed, work/life balance has replaced leaving for a higher salary as the top reason an employee gives for quitting their job.
"There's been a significant shift in what matters to Canadian job seekers -- family has replaced career development as our number one life priority," said Patrick Sullivan, president of Workopolis, said in a statement Wednesday. "Smart employers will recognize this shift and create a workplace that allows people to nurture both their personal and professional lives."
With those results, it's little surprise then that more people are saying in 2006 that career advancement plays second fiddle to family.
There is also less of a discrepancy between the sexes. Whereas five years ago men were more likely to favour their career over their families than women (40 per cent compared to 34 per cent), in 2006, both sexes reported the same, higher priority on family (44 per cent).
Alberta was found to be most family-oriented, with nearly half of respondents saying family is the most important part of their lives.
The online poll was completed by 2,600 Canadians across the country on the Workopolis website between Feb. 28 and March 2 of this year.