Flexible working is the most valued benefit for employees, ahead of material perks such as bonuses, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey.
Managing Tomorrow’s People explores the work aspirations and expectations of 1,167 professionals across the UK. Flexible working arrangements were rated the most important benefit by 47% of those surveyed, above performance related bonuses, which came second (19%).
Flexible working was given fairly equal priority by men and women, with 41% and 54% respectively ranking this benefit the most valuable. Moreover a better work-life balance was seen as more achievable in the long term by 42% respondents than vastly increased responsibility and salary (39%).
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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People work too much - I believe as employers, employees and self-employed, we all can all try harder to find balance between work and life. Time for YOU.I believe that 21hours could be the basic working week as opposed to the massive 40hours (or a lot more). It is too much and cannot be sustained for a lifetime. People are not machines.
ReplyDeleteThe Future of Work
The moral basis for 21hours a week is upon the idea (I believe) that if living standards are improved (for example - time for leisure, health, good food, family etc.) that people will get by with less money. There may be some middle way between the existing system and an imposed 21 hour working week. Germany would entertain this idea at least as their culture is very family orientated (for instance - they do not open their shops on a Sunday so people who work in the retail sector do not have to work on this day). Here in Britain, on the other hand, this would never wash. We work the most hours in Europe.
People live to work and I think this attitude can be traced back to, what Max Weber called 'The Protestant work ethic'. This label is more relevant to the times in which this socioligist deemed it a phenomenon of industrial society (19th Century). But the idea of a 'work ethic' or a moral obligation to work oneself into the ground (in effect) with excessive hours of gainful employment dominates the culture of work.
Laura - thanks for such a thoughtful comment!
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