Meanwhile, the new generation of employees has a completely different approach to professional work – according to reports, it is the work that has to adapt to private life. Every second candidate rejected a job that did not match personal values or would make it impossible to maintain a work-life balance. Dr Marzena Syper-Jędrzejak from the Department of Human Resources Management at the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz comments on the topic.
Previous generations of workers have struggled to maintain work-life balance. Now, the youngest generations are entering the job market – current high school and college graduates with a completely new approach to work flexibility or work-life balance.
Expectations of young people
A report prepared this year by Hays Poland and the OFF School Foundation indicates that representatives of the youngest generations entering the job market, place particular emphasis on work-life balance. For them, well-being, both mental and social, is very important. For example, many young employees have expressed a direct desire to adapt work to their lifestyle – supported in this by technologies enabling remote work and flexible working hours.
According to the latest Deloitte study, as many as 86% of Generation Z representatives emphasise that a sense of purpose and value is very important for their job satisfaction and well-being. In addition, 50% of young employees and candidates have rejected tasks or employer offers that did not align with their personal values or would prevent them from maintaining a work-life balance. In a word, work must be meaningful and not interfere with mental and social health. The FlexJobs report underlines that young employees prefer professional flexibility and consider fully remote work to be the most desirable arrangement.
The interpenetration of professional and private lives constitutes another problem with work-life balance. Technology is to blame here, as it allows for flexibility on the one hand, but on the other hand – it can lead to the effect of being constantly "online" and difficulty in disconnecting from professional duties. In a Deloitte report, 52% of employees stated that technology made them feel obligated to work even after hours, which had a negative impact on their well-being.
Practical solutions
In response to the challenges, companies are starting to implement various mitigations. One of the most common solutions is to disable notifications outside of working hours, especially in industries that rely on constant availability, which are starting to recognize the need to set boundaries and offer employees the opportunity to "disconnect" from their work responsibilities after work. For example, SAP has introduced a policy that allows employees to set automatic replies to emails outside of working hours, and it also promotes active mental health care by limiting working hours.
Deloitte’s research shows that younger generations are more likely to take steps to protect their mental health, such as taking informal breaks, arranging time off without formally notifying their employer, or taking sick leave. Some 36% of young workers have taken at least one such break in the past year, compared to 27% of Generation X. The surveyed employees indicated that taking such steps to ensure their well-being and comfort is acceptable to them, even if it could potentially result in employer dissatisfaction.
Young employees increasingly expect their employers to offer them support in taking care of their mental health and maintaining a work-life balance. Employers who ignore these needs risk losing valuable talent, as younger generations are more likely to reject offers that do not offer sufficient flexibility and support. Educational initiatives teaching time management, stress management and mindfulness techniques are emerging in companies. Their objective is to help employees maintain balance and regain control over their time. This year's research, conducted by a team coordinated by dr hab. Katarzyna Wojtaszczyk, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz, clearly confirms this trend. Over 450 young people from all over Poland, aged 20-23, working (some of whom combined professional work with education) were surveyed. The results indicate that Polish people in their twenties consider an "attractive employer" to be one that provides various work-life balance solutions at work. Of the various solutions offered to them, they particularly value flexible working conditions and hours as well as enabling broadly understood development.
Sources:
Deloitte's 2024 Global Workforce Trends Report, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/articles/glob176836_global-human-capital-trends-2024/DI_Global-Human-Capital-Trends-2024.pdf
FlexJobs 2024 Annual Survey, https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/flexjobs-work-from-anywhere-survey/
Future of Work - Trend Report 2024, https://www.sap.com/documents/2024/01/d419eb00-a77e-0010-bca6-c68f7e60039b.html
Gen Boost. Młodzi na rynku pracy. 2024, https://www.hays.pl/genboost
Pledge to Flex: The Future of Work at SAP Is 100% Flexible and Trust Based, https://news.sap.com/2021/06/pledge-to-flex-future-of-work-at-sap/
Author: Dr Marzena Syper-Jędrzejak
Edit: Faculty of Management, University of Lodz