What do Australians want at work?

The average person will spend approximately 90,000 hours, or one third of their life, at work. When you’re spending that much time working, you want to make sure that you are getting as much out of your career as possible. 

Wellbeing and balance have become common features of working life, with many companies setting up wellness programs and extra leave schemes to ensure their employees remain on the books. With the working world becoming more flexible than ever before, let’s look at what Australians want from their jobs.

Work/life balance

‘Work hard, play hard’ epitomises how Australians tend to live their lives. Employees are willing to put in hard yards on the job if it means they are able to spend quality time with their family and friends outside of working hours. Australians also relish the opportunity to travel, and they are happy to see their hard work pay off in the form of a month-long holiday on the other side of the world.   

Financial stability

With many Australian workers having families and future aspirations to support, it’s no surprise that financial stability is highly sought after. Financial stability is more than just the salary and benefits package – it is also derived from job security, superannuation payments and other employee schemes such as share allocation. 

Positive and pleasant working atmosphere

Australians strive to enjoy being at work, so a pleasant professional environment is vital to them. A tense and uncomfortable atmosphere in the workplace can make or break a job for many Australian employees, and many are happy to walk away from a company if they don’t see eye to eye on workplace culture.  

Comprehensive training

While adapting and learning on the job is part of any occupation, many Australian workers prefer to undergo some form of training when they commence with a new company. This allows employees to gather a better understanding of their role and its function in the workplace, rather than being thrown in the deep end. Developmental training that allows employees to progress throughout their career is also highly valued.