A recent poll by Monster.ca showed that 80% of Canadians would gladly take a pay cut if guaranteed a job with better work-life balance, despite the shaky economy.

In the meantime, across the pond, having flexible work arrangements is more important than getting a good salary, according to recent graduates in the UK. As a matter of fact, over half of graduates expect to have flexible work arrangements when they begin working, by having the option to telecommute or working outside of traditional work hours. The class of 2010 could very well be the start of a new generation of employees who work wherever and whenever they want to. In addition, government legislation requires employers to allow all staff the right to request flexible working.

According to a survey conducted by Hays, 70% of employers expect to get an increase in requests for flexible working while 40% expect to have increased costs as a result. Most employers offer the flexibe working arrangements to support their employees, while 18% do so just to comply with the legislation. But the options most desired by employees are the ones that are not available, such as working from home especially with the technology in place to do so, or job sharing. They say if they were offered these options they would stay with the employer longer. Most staff, 95%, say that flexible working improves work-life balance and about 20% believe that these policies are essential when choosing a job.

Research shows that flexible work arrangements improves productivity if employers make the types most desired by staff available. With ongoing pay freezes in both the public and private sectors, coming up with ways to retain staff and keep them engaged is very important.