The balance between personal and professional life is the number one priority for 56% of employees worldwide. New technologies are playing a vital role but are a double-edged sword. This is what was found by the “Define success – Your approach” survey, conducted by Accenture among 4,100 people in 33 countries.
Although 70% of employees believe that it’s possible to have both a scintillating career and a fulfilling personal life, 50% nonetheless think that you can't have it all at the same time. To find this balance between professional and personal success, most choose a job based on the potential impact that it could have on both. More than half have already declined an offer of a job that does not meet this expectation.
When defining a successful career, 56% cited the balance between personal and professional life, 46% pay, 42% recognition and 42% autonomy. This is followed by career development, the social impact of work then the job title.
According to Lisa Grill, responsible for women’s initiatives at Accenture Canada, employees never stop defining and redefining their notions of success throughout their career. For the most part, career objectives and personal priorities predominate at different points of the journey. Today, employees are striving to strike the right balance between career and family life, and large companies are finding innovative means to help them in this direction.
The controversial role of technology
In addition, the survey spotlighted the use of new technologies in working life and the impact they have outside work. For 78% of respondents, they allow them to be more flexible in how they use time. This flexibility is considered essential for 80% of employees in their quest for the right balance. Nonetheless, 70% say that new technologies bring work into their personal time.
The fact that the right balance between personal and working life continues to be so important to employees takes on essential significance for employers, says Nellie Borrero, Global Inclusion and Diversity Managing Director at Accenture. Indeed, companies that can provide support to employees to help them find the balance sought can count on their commitment and also recruit and retain high performance professionals.