A September 2006 poll conducted by the Association of Executive Search Consultants found that of 239 senior executives around the world, 41% stated that they are less willing to take a new job that involves heavy business travel, compared with 5 years ago. 80% of those less willing to travel cited interference with work-life balance as the main reason for wishing ot travel less. (Interestingly, 28% said they were more willing to travel compared to five years ago).
Sounds like great news, right? Well, yes and no. I am thrilled that executives worldwide are more sensitive to their own work-life balance issues – – it’s a great start. At the same time, my observations working in many, varied sectors in the Canadian marketplace indicate that this growing executive awareness has not yet trickled down into the daily hustle and bustle of the general workplace; in fact many people feel that `work’ is increasingly penetrating their personal life.
So let’s be optimistic and hope that within the next decade we will indeed see a significant shift in the right direction.