84% of Canadian job seekers value work-life balance over climbing corporate ladder: survey

Baby boomers (75 per cent) were most likely to agree that work-life balance is more important than climbing the corporate ladder, an opinion held by just 66 per cent of generation X and 57 per cent of generation Z.

Read: 63% of U.S. employees would opt for better work-life balance over pay rise: survey

However, roughly two-thirds (63 per cent) of job seekers and nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadian hiring decision-makers said they feel employees who have no desire to advance are looked upon negatively at their company.

When assessing employees who aren’t interested in climbing the corporate ladder, 57 per cent of hiring decision-makers described these employees negatively, including a lack of drive (31 per cent), being unengaged (27 per cent) and uncommitted (23 per cent). Half (51 per cent) described such employees as having less long-term potential in their companies.

At the same time, 86 per cent of decision-makers agreed employees who are content with their current role still contribute to the success of a company and some even described them as knowing their limit (24 per cent) and what they want (20 per cent).

“Whether it’s an entry-level position or an executive role, every job contributes significantly to the overall functionality and success of a workforce,” said Bill Stoller, Express Employment International’s  chief executive officer, in a press release. “People’s ambitions vary but one thing that all employees should have in common is to find continuing education opportunities to excel in their duties and always strive for improvement. Businesses would also be prudent to discover how team members individually define purpose to avoid mistaking contentment with complacency.”

Read: ‘Quiet quitting’ a rallying cry for more focus on work-life balance, employee engagement