Report finds disconnect between employee values and hiring decision-makers views
Canadian workers are now prioritizing their personal fulfillment as well as their work-life balance, data from surveys commissioned by Express Employment Professionals, a recruitment agency found.
The data found that about 66 percent of Canadian hiring decision-makers believed that an employee advancing in their careers is the definition of professional success, with 51 percent also saying that the only way to do so is climbing the corporate ladder. Both (69 percent) Canadian job seekers and (63 percent) hiring decision-makers believed that the best way an employee can add more value to a company they are working for is through the advancement of their careers.
“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, CEO at Express Employment International.
However, 63 percent of jobseekers said that they were not interested in climbing the corporate ladder. About 85 percent of them also said that having a meaningful job is much more important than having a high-level job title, while 84 percent said that having a work-life balance was the definition of professional success.
Older workers lack interest in ‘climbing corporate ladder’
Older workers were also more likely to agree with this sentiment as 75 percent of Boomers and 66 percent of Gen X-ers expressed a lack of interest in climbing the corporate ladder, while only 57 percent of Gen Z saying so as well. Work-life balance is a priority for 90 percent of boomers, 78 percent of Gen X, and 73 percent of Gen Z.
About 49 percent of hiring decision-makers said that employees who were not interested about advancing their careers were negatively perceived in their companies. They described employees with no interest in the corporate ladder climb as lacking drive (31 percent), unengaged (27 percent), uncommitted (23 percent), and having less long-term potential in their firms (51 percent).
However, 86 percent of hiring decision-makers still agreed that employees who were content with their current roles still make contributions their company’s success as they said these employees knew their limits (24 percent) as well as what they want (20 percent).
“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,” said Stoller.
“Businesses would also be prudent to discover how team members individually define purpose to avoid mistaking contentment with complacency,” he said further.
The Job Insights survey involved 507 Canadian hiring decision-makers while the Job Seeker Survey involved 507 adults who were either employed or unemployed but were looking for work.
