Personal time outside work, schedule predictability and caregiver support rank higher than remote work options for Canadian employees, according to new national research released this week.
Signal49 Research, formerly The Conference Board of Canada, surveyed 2,508 Canadian workers between Jan. 13 and 29, 2025, asking them to describe what work-life balance means to them. The findings, published Feb. 24, challenge some common employer assumptions about what drives employee satisfaction.
Personal time tops the list, but varies by identity
The most frequently mentioned theme across all respondents was personal time and autonomy outside of work, cited by 33 per cent of participants. But that figure shifted significantly across identity groups.
Indigenous respondents emphasized life outside work at the highest rate, at 41.7 per cent, according to the report. People with disabilities followed at 37.3 per cent, racialized employees at 35 per cent, and LGBTQ+ workers at 33.5 per cent.
LGBTQ+ respondents were also more likely to mention a positive work environment as part of their definition of balance — 7.9 per cent compared with 3.1 to 5.8 per cent in other groups. The research suggests HR leaders cannot apply a single definition of balance across a workforce and should build flexibility into policies to reflect those differences.
Where you work matters less than when
One of the report’s more striking findings: work location had no meaningful effect on how employees defined balance. Definitions remained consistent across remote, hybrid and fully in-person workers.
Schedule type told a different story. Employees working regular weekday hours were more likely to prioritize family time (16.5 per cent) compared with those on shifts (13.8 per cent) or flexible hours (13.2 per cent). Workers on flexible schedules were most likely to focus on the concept of balance itself — managing time across both work and personal responsibilities — at 17.3 per cent, compared with 15.7 per cent on regular weekdays and 10.6 per cent on shifts.
The findings point to scheduling arrangements, not physical location, as the stronger influence on what employees need from their employers.
Caregivers focus on flexibility, not balance
Employees with caregiving responsibilities defined balance differently than those without. Only 13.6 per cent of caregivers mentioned balance itself, compared with 16.6 per cent of non-caregivers.
Instead, caregivers were more likely to highlight flexibility as their priority. Among those caring for an older adult or a person with a disability, 18.1 per cent in each group named flexibility as central to their definition. Caregivers also mentioned mental and physical health far less often — between 3.9 and 4.3 per cent — compared with 9.8 per cent among non-caregivers, suggesting that immediate caregiving demands push personal wellbeing lower on the list.
The data also revealed that caregivers are at higher risk of leaving their jobs. Among employees with caregiving responsibilities, 10.3 per cent cited poor leadership as a reason they would consider quitting, compared with 6.1 per cent of non-caregivers. For those providing eldercare, that figure climbed to 13.7 per cent.
What employers can do
The report offers HR leaders several concrete steps tied directly to the themes employees raised. Signal49 Research recommends:
- Personal time: Set organization-wide policies discouraging after-hours communication, with managers modelling those boundaries daily
- Caregiving support: Offer compassionate care leave and access to employee and family assistance program resources for eldercare and disability support
- Scheduling flexibility: Standardize flexible scheduling policies across departments and ensure they accommodate medical appointments or caregiving needs without requiring full personal days
- Mental health: Provide counselling services and communicate available resources through multiple channels on a regular basis
- Predictability: Provide shift or project schedules at least two weeks in advance and limit overtime to exceptional cases
- Financial strain: Explore childcare stipends, partnerships with local care providers and an interest-free emergency relief fund for workers facing unexpected crises
The report notes that employers who fail to address these expectations face elevated turnover risk, particularly among younger workers.
Eight themes define balance for Canadian workers
Signal49 Research identified eight themes from the open-ended survey responses:
- Personal time and autonomy — having time to pursue interests, set limits and maintain identity outside work (33 per cent)
- Family time and relationships — spending meaningful, uninterrupted time with loved ones (14 per cent)
- Having enough time for both — neither work nor personal life consistently takes over (13 per cent)
- Workplace flexibility — control over when, where and how work gets done (12 per cent)
- Predictable and protected time — a reliable schedule that prevents overwork (10 per cent)
- Wellbeing and self-care — physical, mental and emotional health (8 per cent)
- Financial security — stable income and good benefits (6 per cent)
- Positive and supportive work conditions — respectful culture, fair expectations, supportive leaders (4 per cent)
The survey was conducted online with a nationally representative sample drawn from both employed and unemployed Canadians. It was designed and analyzed by Signal49 Research’s Human Capital team. Full survey available here: https://www.signal49.ca/product/employees-perspectives-work-life-balance_feb2026/
