Portuguese value work-life balance and are willing to reject work opportunities for this. The possibility of working remotely is also highly praised.
Concerns about work-life balance are high among Portuguese workers. Around 60% confess that they would not accept a particular job if they felt it would negatively affect the relationship between their professional, personal and family lives. The scenario is outlined this Tuesday by the human resources company Randstad, in a new study based on the responses of 27,000 workers in 34 countries around the world.
According to this analysis, on average, in the 34 countries studied, 57% of workers would reject a job if they thought it could threaten their work-life balance.
In Portugal, this proportion is even higher (60%). In fact, half of the Portuguese respondents, Randstad points out, say that their personal life is more important than their professional life.
Even so, when it comes to workers who are open to quitting if their job doesn’t allow them to enjoy life, Portugal is below the global average (39% against 49%).
All in all, according to this study, for the Portuguese the five factors that carry the most weight in terms of current or future employment are work-life balance (97%, above the global average of 93%), salary (96%, above the global average of 93%) and mental health support (94%, above the global average of 83%).
This is followed by job security (93%), flexible working hours and opportunities for career progression (88%).
It should be noted, however, that the Portuguese feel less openness on the part of employers to discuss rapid career progression than the general public (31% against the global average of 46%).
And the Portuguese are less willing to leave their jobs if there are no opportunities for career development (37% against 51%), the Randstad analysis shows.
As far as flexibility is concerned, it is worth noting that 26% of Portuguese say they would consider leaving their jobs if the company required them to spend more time in the office, working face-to-face. However, Portugal does not exceed the global average on this point (compared to 37% of the global average).
Although the pandemic is over, teleworking is still highly valued by national and international workers. Even so, fewer people in Portugal feel that not being open to this model is a “red line” than the global average (25% against 39%).