PwC: Almost half of Romanians want better life-work balance, a quarter wants self employment

Romanians would like to improve their work-life balance, found a recent study carried on by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). 40 percent of Romanians say that in 10 years time they would like to enjoy a better work-life balance, while 28 percent state that they wish to be self-employed in the next decade, according to the 'Managing Tomorrow’s People' study. Only 32 percent of the Romanian respondents said that in the next 10 years they see themselves with more responsibilities than they have now and with a matching salary, according to PwC. The number of people who would like to be self-employed in Romania is higher than globally - with only 20 percent of the respondents saying that they intend to start such an activity in the next 10 years. On a global level, 44 percent of the respondents expect to have a position with more responsibilities in the next 10 years with a salary to match. “Our survey indicates that employees may be feeling the pressure, with large numbers of respondents hoping for better work-life balance in the future and around a third saying they would prefer to work for themselves”, says Peter de Ruiter, head of Tax and Legal Services with PwC Romania. “Employers who push their workers to deliver more, without monitoring and reviewing the impacts, will end up hurting themselves. Morale and loyalty can be chipped away and result in a mass exodus of the most talented when more sustained economic growth arrives”, de Ruiter goes on. “Companies should be careful that they are not paving the way for a mass exodus of talent once more favourable economic conditions return and the job market strengthens,” writes the PwC study. The PwC Managing Tomorrow’s People study, explores the work aspirations and expectations over the next decade of 5,700 professionals from 113 countries worldwide. Virtual office The 'virtual office' idea has been mentioned by mature professionals, who need to spend more time with their families. Their ideal workplace implies the existence of a “virtual office”, where employees log on from any location, including their own home, according to the study.