don one side the Censis-Eudaimon Report on corporate welfare, according to which almost half of employed Italians would leave their current job. on the other theexponential increase (compared to 2021) of career coach requests reported by the ProntoPro portal, a site that connects the demand and supply of services. More and more people are not satisfied with their work dimension. But what does it really mean? And what are the today’s jobs with the best quality of life?
Job change: the Italians would do it
Based on 6th Censis-Eudaimon Report on corporate welfare, 46.7% of employed Italians would leave their current job. 50.4% of young people and 45.8% of adults, 58.6% of workers, 41.6% of office workers and 26.9% of managers would do so. Also because 64.4% of the employed declare that they work only to earn the money necessary to live and do the things they like, without any other existential motivation. The reasons for such unease lie in the career difficulties, in the salary not adequate to one’s needs, in the fear of losing one’s job. But 79.2% also ask for more opportunities to reconciliation between family life and work79.1% income supplements, 78.0% help to solve bureaucratic problems in relations with public administrations, 68.1% psychological counseling to face daily difficulties.
Work-life balance, private life and job satisfaction
These are needs in line with those identified by ReadyPro. If the pandemic has changed the scale of priorities of many, in the post-Covid the course has not reversed. On the contrary: in January 2023 there was a +100% demand for consultations with a career coach compared to the same month in 2022.
Since the end of the pandemic, the identity of the person in the workplace has begun to predominate over identification with the job itself and this has led to thinking about how restore balance between private and professional life. If before one of the key factors that guided the choice of a new job was the achievement of a better economic situation, now there are other values under the magnifying glass.
Jobs with the best quality of life
The reasons that push the request for consultancy are very different depending on age and the moment of career and life in which one finds oneself. For example the new mothers in general, they will have different needs from those who do not have children or who already have them and would perhaps like a professional relaunch.
Compared to 2021, 2022 saw the growing doubts of the more mature age group, 31-45 years old, interested in having support with a view to a career change or to understand how to further develop one’s potential and inclinations.
Among the objectives to which we tend are: to build a good work-life balance. Find correspondence between personal values and those of the company. Have adequate financial recognition. “But it’s clear that everyone has to weigh themselves,” he explains Mara W. Cassardoamong the over 7,000 professionals registered on ProntoPro. A career counselor who is also an engineer, manager and mother, as well as a writer. «Jobs with a better quality of life don’t exist at all: the point of equilibrium that must be sought is individual, and depends on the characteristics of each one but also on the phase of life one is facing».
Mara W. Cassardo, career counselor
Job change: what to look for?
In general, the job satisfaction compensates for the lack of time for private life: «If the profession is rewarding, you have more energy for the family, in any case», continues Cassardo. “Obviously so too smart working, eliminating the “waste” of transport time, helps to earn time for the private individual. As well as check i welfare plans of companies before applying for a role can be useful in order not to have bad surprises. And, of course, more responsibility equals less time for oneself, and vice versa». But it is said that a good work-life balance job on paper is really good for those who think they want it.
Every job is What, How and with Whom
There is therefore a preliminary work to be carried out before putting oneself in view of changing profession. Before imagining any kind of change, it is worth analyzing your own needs. Cassardo guides us: «Every job is a “what”, a “how”, and a “who”. What I do, the profession itself, satisfies me? If so, maybe it doesn’t make sense to change. It’s a point. How do I do it, and that is the company organization, is it for me? The answer is not obvious. There are those who prefer a somewhat disorganized, freer environment than a highly “proceduralized” situation. Thirdly, relationships: do I have a good team? No because the context is toxic and everyone wants to make me shoes? Do I think so because it is like this or because, as a mirror effect, I see my reflection in them and I am afraid of losing my position?».
Change everything to not change anything?
Only after having thoroughly analyzed what is missing and what one aspires to, and who one is, can one imagine changing something or everything. Otherwise, you can end up changing everything in order to change nothing, and find yourself in situations similar to the ones you escaped from. It is useless to think of solving the problem by asking to work remotely: if you have control problems you will continue to overwork.
Delegation, teamwork, trust in others: the magic words
“Knowing yourself means weighing your need for control, your ability to delegate, to work as a team, to trust others”. Impossible to aspire to a better quality of life, understood as more time for yourself, if you have the “habit” of focusing everything on yourself.
Does delegation difficulty stem from team incompetence? «Knowing how to correct, teach and transmit skills is a great quality of the leader». But also of the serene colleague in his role: «Moving knowledge can be seen as passing ‘power’. Instead, the growth of the other frees us, allows us to learn new things» concludes Cassardo.
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