Young workers who have their own businesses have greater work-life balance and satisfaction.Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images/iStockphoto
If you're running your own business and you are part of Canada's Gen X or Gen Y generations, you're likely satisfied with your work-life balance, a new study says.
Canadians are "marginally better" at achieving balance between their work and personal lives compared with workers in other countries, particularly if they're younger and running their own businesses, says the Work-Life Balance Index by Regus, a company that provides flexible work spaces.
The study shows that Canada's global ranking is above the average.
Canadian workers saw the biggest rise in their work-life balance index score – up nine points to 122 this year from 113 last year, Regus said in a release.
While the global average is 120, business owners scored 127, and Gen X and Y workers came in at 129. Those who worked at small firms scored 125.
This is the second year for the study, which is based on the views of 26,000 professionals in more than 90 countries around the world.
"For the younger work force, work-life balance is top of their agenda, and the tech-savvy generation view work as something you do, rather than somewhere you go," says Wes Lenci, vice-president of Regus Canada.
"As an employer, I would emphasize that the younger work force does not feel it has to remain loyal to an employer in the same way as before and it's crucial to let them work in ways that suit them, rather than fit them to your way of doing things."