Employees would rather be jobless than be unhappy at work - Ranstad survey

SHAH ALAM - For employees in Malaysia, having a work-life balance nowadays seems to be the toughest thing to achieve.

A survey conducted by Randstad Malaysia Recruitment Agency on Malaysian employees found that 50 per cent of the respondents were not afraid to leave their jobs if they could not enjoy their personal life.

According to the survey, 34 per cent of the respondents said they would rather be jobless than feel unhappy at work, while 43 per cent of them said they will not accept a job offer if the company does not offer them an option to work remotely.

The survey also found that one in three respondents have resigned from their jobs because of work inflexibility, with the sentiment being the most prevalent among millennials (37 per cent).

Ranstad head of operations Fahad Naeem said millennials wanted to have job flexibility and freedom to enjoy life outside of work.

Besides that, he said there was also a much greater focus on mental health and work-life balance among the workforce, and fewer people were willing to sacrifice their time and health for work.

“Millennials are the drivers of change in the world of work today.

"They are changing the meaning and purpose of work, as well as the role of the employer for the other generations as well.

"Instead of living in the shadows of their jobs, they want to have the flexibility and freedom to enjoy life outside of work," he said.

In the agency's H2 2022 Workmonitor bi-annual survey that highlighted the workforce’s latest sentiments and perceptions of the local job market, it stated that one in three respondents have expressed that they would rather be unemployed than feel unhappy at work.

Fahad stressed that if workers felt unhappy in their jobs, it could have a consequential impact on their personal relationships as they may find themselves complaining more than spending quality time with their family and friends.

"We spend one-third of our adult lives working, hence it is critical that employees feel satisfied and happy in thier jobs to make it worth their time.

"Business leaders are instrumental in creating a positive and supportive environment that gives employees the opportunities to realise their true potential so that they can be happier and more productive at work," he said.

Meanwhile, according to the survey 95 per cent of the respondents said work-life balance was important.

During the work-from-home experiment over the past two years, due to the pandemic, many employees and businesses realised that with the right tools and resources, they could be more productive at home.

He said it was a desirable option to workers as they could save cost and time commuting adding that they could focus better on work as there were fewer distractions.

“These flexibilities allow employees to gain more responsibilities over their workload and deadlines.

"Working from home or at their own pace also allows employees to strike a better balance between work and personal life, as they can plan their own time and activities around work.

"A happier and balanced workforce can also strengthen the company’s ability to attract more talent to work for them,” Fahad said.

Work-life balance is top-of-mind for many Malaysian workers, with at least eight in 10 respondents saying that it was important that they have flexibility in terms of working hours (89 per cent) and location (86 per cent).

The latest 2022 Randstad Workmointor study was conducted between Feb 21 and March 13 which involved 750 local-based respondents who were workers aged between 18 and 67.