The pandemic-fueled genetic shift in attitudes toward work has led to the Great Resignation, the anti-work movement, and now the quiet resignation. But the search for better work-life balance also sheds new light on an old strategy: accepting lower pay for a less demanding job. It’s a move that requires adopters to carefully evaluate their budgets and give up some luxuries, but they say it’s worth it. Take Marie Crespin. Living more frugally was a sacrifice she made so she could leave a stressful job in human resources and pursue web design. The 31-year-old in Nantes, France, now earns about 1,600 euros ($1,608) a month, up from 2,300 euros in her human resources job. It means fewer meals out and wearing second-hand clothes. It also allowed her to cut her work week in half, from 40 hours to 20 or 25. “Work shouldn’t be the most important thing in your life,” Crespin said. “Having the freedom to do what you want with your time is the real luxury of today.” The outlook for workers is changing as layoffs mount and recession fears grow, but the labor market remains tight, particularly in the US. The rate of Americans voluntarily leaving their jobs fell in July, but remains well above pre-pandemic levels and jobs are near an all-time high. For now, the changing economic winds haven’t been enough to dissuade workers from seeking less taxing jobs. A July survey by online job site FlexJobs found that nearly two-thirds of respondents would take a pay cut to improve their work-life balance. “The pandemic made many people realize that work didn’t have to be the be-all and end-all of their lives,” said Céline Marty, author of the book Work Less to Live Better and a researcher at the French University of Science. Post office. “Some people found they could spend less, buy less, and didn’t have to work as much to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.”
PAY CUT
Certainly, inflation and economic uncertainty have left many people with no choice but to work longer hours and take on multiple jobs. Others — lucky enough to have higher and more stable incomes — decided to cut back on spending so they could reduce their workload. Jérôme Lemay in Quebec City says being frugal allows him to spend more time with his family, enjoy nature and be in control of his personal wealth. Lemay and his wife took a 20 percent pay cut so they could spend more time with their three children. Photographer: Nicolas Bouchard/Bloomberg The 36-year-old telecoms technician, his wife and three children are getting by on about $US100,000 ($77,000) a year after both adults switched to four-day work weeks last year and took 20% pay cuts. They buy used items, repair appliances themselves, rely on neighborhood groups for children’s clothing, and enjoy free music festivals and outdoor activities for fun. Lemay has repaired his washer-dryer three times, his vacuum cleaner twice and his kitchen stove once. “It’s all about finding the right balance in life, stopping the crazy race and really enjoying quality time with the family,” he said. The tendency to live frugally to reduce work shifts is especially common among younger generations, who struggle to build wealth anyway amid high home prices and inflation outpacing wage gains. About 61 percent of 15- to 25-year-olds said they value work-life balance, compared to 42 percent who said they value earning a lot of money, according to a recent survey by the education nonprofit organization Murmuration and the Walton Family. Foundation. It is a global phenomenon. In the US, the r/antiwork subreddit has more than 2 million members and is described as a community for those who want to “make the most of a life without work”. More recently, the idea of the “quiet break” – doing the bare minimum at work – has taken hold as people reject the hustle culture and seek more personal time. In China, the “lie-flat” movement is a rebellion against the 9-9-6 work culture – a reference to working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – and instead to we do as little as possible to get by. And in France, a group of extreme savers has attracted national attention for promoting the concept of “working less to live better.” The group – called “Détravail” (De-work) – meets every two months in a small rental space in Nantes to share tips on how to cut costs and reduce working hours.
I’M TURNING TO THE ECOLOGY
Many young people around the world are becoming interested in cutting back on their expenses and switching to a low-work schedule to reduce their carbon footprint amid growing environmental awareness, said Geneviève Provencher, founder of human resources firm Flow based in Canada. Nikita Crocker, 32, cut back her lifestyle as much as possible last year so she wouldn’t have to work at all. A former nanny who originally studied engineering in London, Crocker decided to ditch her reliance on corporate work so she could devote her time to climate-related volunteering. Living in her husband’s grandfather’s house and surviving on her husband’s £50,000 ($58,000) a year primary school salary, the couple spend £1,200 on rent and just £500 a month on food and some other expenses for themselves and the two small children. “After school I became disenchanted with the capitalist system,” Crocker said. “I realized that any corporate job would do more harm than good.”
