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UPFRONT
WORKPLACE CULTURE AND CAREER
PROGRESSION OUTSHINE PAYCHEQUE IN
EVOLVING CANADIAN WORKFORCE
From the shiny towers on Bay Street to the busy construction
sites of Vancouver, Canadians are shifting their attitudes about
what they want from work. According to a recent survey by Hays
Canada, company culture has significantly moved up the list when
evaluating work options and 74 per cent of Canadians are willing
to take a pay cut for their ideal job.
The Hays What People Want Survey gathered insights from
more than 4,000 employees across Canada, offering a snapshot of
the shifting priorities of the Canadian workforce when it comes
to salary, benefits, culture and career growth. Respondents were
asked about what they considered to be most important in their
current role and when weighing other opportunities.
Hays Canada first surveyed Canadians about their career pref-erences
in 2013. The findings released today reveal that in the past
four years, overall work satisfaction has declined by 19 per cent
and that 89.8 per cent of Canadian employees would consider
leaving their current job for something else, up from the 77.6 per
cent reported in 2013. While financial compensation continues to
dominate career decisions, there has been an 11 per cent drop in
how salary is weighted, with Canadians placing increased impor-tance
on company culture, up 26 per cent since 2013. In fact, the
combination of career progression and workplace culture surpass
paycheque when it comes to making career decisions.
“Canadians want a company culture that speaks to their core
values. Their priorities are changing and employers that want to
attract and retain the best and brightest also need to be willing
THERE IS AN
EXPECTATION
THAT WORK
SHOULD DELIVER
MORE THAN JUST
A PAYCHEQUE.
to change. They cannot continue to offer the same incentives and
compensation and expect to remain competitive in this tight talent
market. Strong leadership, open communication, flexibility and
career training are only going to grow in importance as Generation
Y moves up the corporate ladder,” said Rowan O’Grady, president
of Hays Canada.
The 2017 survey’s key findings:
■■ Getting past the paycheque: The Hays survey indicates that
there is an expectation that work should deliver more than just
a paycheque. This shift may partly be attributed to the rise in
Generation Y, now the biggest cohort in Canada’s workforce.
As this group reaches their mid-30s and become managers and
senior managers, preferences for informal work environments
and increased focus on career growth are becoming more
pronounced. Across demographics, two-thirds of job seekers
would take a step down in seniority and three-quarters would
take a pay cut for their ideal job. Generation Y was most likely
to say they would take a pay cut of more than 10 per cent for
their ideal job.
Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com
Continued on page 11
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ OCTOBER 2017 ❚ 9
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