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A good work-life balance is the new 'holy grail' for employees: survey

A growing number of employees place significant importance on maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and private lives

Published: Jan 24, 2025 05:21:18 PM IST
Updated: Jan 25, 2025 11:51:27 AM IST


Younger generations are particularly sensitive regarding the need for greater harmony between their professional and personal lives.
Image: Shutterstock Younger generations are particularly sensitive regarding the need for greater harmony between their professional and personal lives. Image: Shutterstock

Financial compensation has long been perceived as the main driver of motivation at work. However, although salary remains a crucial element, it is no longer enough to fully engage employees. Today, it's the work-life balance that makes all the difference.

The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced certain trends that were already brewing in the world of work. One of the rising trends is that a growing number of employees place significant importance on maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and private lives. Eighty-three percent of the 26,000 employees questioned as part of the “Workmonitor 2025: A new workplace baseline" survey consider this aspect to be essential when choosing a job or deciding to stay in one. 

In fact this aspect is on a par with job security and slightly ahead of salary, cited by 82% of respondents. “For the first time in Workmonitor's 22-year history, work-life balance surpasses pay as the leading motivator. Compensation is still important, but talent today have multifaceted expectations,” says Sander van 't Noordende, CEO of Randstad.

Younger generations are particularly sensitive to the need for greater harmony between their professional and personal lives. For Gen Z workers, this balance even takes precedence over compensation: 74% consider it a priority, compared with 68% for pay. Conversely, Baby Boomers attach greater importance to income, probably because they are approaching retirement. 

This shift in priorities is reflected in global trends. Nearly 79% of employees worldwide consider their work-life balance to be satisfactory, a figure up on the previous year (78%). What's more, 68% feel that their salary allows them to live as they wish. But beyond these two aspects, other expectations emerge strongly, notably sufficient annual leave (77%), adequate health insurance (74%) and the need to make a personal impact through their work (69%).

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Also read: Take 5: Work is changing. What does the future hold?

Flexibility is key

Nearly five years after the start of the pandemic, which saw many working people turn their kitchen, spare room or even sofa into an improvised office, remote working has become firmly established as a way of life. It is now seen by some employees as a real asset and benefit. However, expectations in terms of flexibility of work today go far beyond working from home. Workers questioned for the Randstad survey emphasize that their jobs now offer them greater freedom, whether to choose their location of work (up from 51% in 2024 to 60% in 2025) or to adapt their working hours (up from 57% to 65%). Work intensity is also more flexible: in 2025, 64% of employees say they can adjust their workload, compared to 54% the previous year.

These developments point to a major transformation underway in the world of work. Flexibility in the workplace is gradually becoming the norm, with employers offering more freedom to enable employees to achieve better work-life balance. However, flexibility alone is not always enough to guarantee a sense of belonging. According to Randstad, 83% of employees want to work in an environment where they can form bonds and become part of a community. More than half (55%) say they are ready to resign if this need is not met, a figure up sharply on 2023 (37%).

All these developments pose new challenges for employers. Despite an uncertain economic climate, employees are demanding more from their workplaces. This quest for balance, more prioritized than ever before, is redefining work standards. Companies that fail to adapt risk losing talent, especially among younger generations, for whom a flexible, balanced working environment is now a sine qua non. A quiet but resolute revolution for the future of work.

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