Study: US Workers Would Take Pay Cuts for Improved Quality of Life

2024 · VOA Learning English

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Transcript

1. Just over half of U.S. workers would be willing to take a 20 percent pay cut in exchange for a better quality of life, a recent survey found.

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2. Lynn Bufka is a clinical psychologist with ties to the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C. “I do think people are really struggling figuring out what work-life balance is,” she said.

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3. “And recognizing, certainly in parts of the U.S., that we have a drive to work and perform and succeed. And increasingly, we're realizing this isn't good for us.”

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4. Younger adults are even more in favor of giving up money for what they consider a better life, the survey found.

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5. Fifty-six percent of Generation Z adults, people aged 18 up to 26, said the same thing.

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6. “These results don't surprise me,” Julia Toothacre told VOA in an email. She is a job advisor at ResumeBuilder.com.

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7. “The younger generations have been very vocal about the need for balance in their life. It's important to note that it doesn't mean they are less ambitious

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8. It just means they are looking for flexibility and they aren't willing to sacrifice their health the way other generations have.”

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9. But only 33 percent of Baby Boomers, those aged 60 to 78, would do the same. It is something that Toothacre has experienced in her work.

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10. She said many of her clients want some flexibility for life events and things like doctor’s visits. “Work-life balance is very important to my clients.

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11. Most of my clients come to me because they aren't happy in their current career, or they are looking for a more balanced and flexible career path,” she said.

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12. The survey was carried out by Ford Motor Company in August and September 2023 and included 16,086 online interviews with adults in 16 countries,

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13. “If our only definition of ourselves is what we do and our work, we are neglecting …our social sense of self, our spiritual sense of self,” Bufka said.

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14. There is also a practical side of work-life balance and the willingness to limit time worked in exchange for less money.

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15. Bufka said people need time away from work to keep their households operating.

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16. If people feel like they do not have enough time, “there's always going to be a tension between the immediate demands of household and family, and work.” I’m Dan Novak.

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