65% of Canadians Say They Achieved Better Work-Life Balance in 2022: Poll

The Bay Street Financial District is shown with the Canadian flag in Toronto on Aug. 5, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians say they found a better work-life balance in 2022, according to a new poll.

Conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Global News, the poll said that 65 percent of working Canadians felt they have “achieved a better work-life balance” in 2022.

Published on Jan. 4, the online poll was based on a sample of 1,004 Canadians aged 18 and over between Dec. 14–16, 2022.

According to the market research firm, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed workplace dynamics such that it has allowed many working Canadians to “embrace the benefits of working from home.”

Researchers found that for those working remotely, a strong majority (84 percent) say they have enjoyed working from home more often in the past year, so much so that 70 percent do not want to return to the office on a regular basis in the new year.

However, 30 percent say they want to return to the office. Half (51 percent) of the respondents say they miss being with their colleagues in person.

As more employers now want their staff back in the office full-time, 36 percent of the respondents say they expect to return to their workplaces on a regular basis in 2023.

‘Unpredictable Shifts’

A survey conducted by recruitment firm Robert Half last fall found that 50 percent of respondents indicated they planned to search for a new job in the next six months.

The top reasons included having a higher salary, better benefits and perks, more advancement opportunities, and greater flexibility to choose when and where they work.

The Robert Half survey conducted online from Oct. 17 to Nov. 7 of 2022, asked the views of more than 1,100 workers from multiple sectors including finance, technology, marketing, and human resources.

The survey found that the ones most likely to make a career move in 2023 include employees who have been with a company for two to four years, generation Z and millennials, tech workers and working parents.

The Ipsos poll said given that a majority of its respondents who worked from home “enjoyed this work-life adjustment,” 36 percent of employed Canadians had indicated they do not mind earning 20 percent less if it meant they could work 20 percent fewer hours than they do now.

In addition, seven in 10 (71 percent) say they have changed jobs in 2022 and have done so on their own accord—meaning for 29 percent, it wasn’t their choice, said the poll.

“The new year may bring unpredictable shifts to the workplace environment and will no doubt influence perceptions among working Canadians regarding how they split their time between work and play,” Ipsos said.

The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.