After more than eleven years as an advertising manager in a big agency, Marie, 35, preferred to work as an executive assistant, even if it meant losing a third of her salary. The click? The birth of her baby, but not only. Crazy schedules and pressure got the better of his ambition. "While it's a position that could be considered demeaning, I feel useful and valued as an assistant! I have no more stress at all, I feel freer, lighter, I live again. Steffie, 25, quit her job as a project manager in a large translation agency to become a “simple translator”. And have been swimming in happiness ever since. “Today, I work from home. I am not accountable to anyone. I take holidays when I want, I spend as much time as possible with my companion and my family, a very precious time for me. In short, I do what I love, when I feel like it! Like them, more and more women no longer hesitate to “demote” themselves or to refuse a promotion, however attractive it may be. We remember the refusal of Axelle Lemaire, PS deputy, to enter the government of François Hollande. "I was very impressed, but it didn't take me two minutes to make up my mind," she confided to "Liberation" (August 1, 2012). Today, “making a career” takes on a completely different meaning for 30-somethings than for their elders.
Succeeding in reconciling private and professional life has never been so difficult, especially with motherhood arriving at a time when professional careers are taking off. "Feminism is not about sacrificing everything for your career, it's about finding the right balance between professional and private life in complete freedom", explained Axelle Lemaire to justify her refusal. 58% of women also admit having difficulty reconciling the two, according to Cegos (an organization specializing in vocational training). At the head of the difficulties, the extent of the time slots. This is because the cult of presenteeism is not a myth! The typical boss is still the one who arrives first to leave last and who remains glued to his files including weekends and holidays. It is therefore difficult to escape meetings scheduled after 6 p.m. “Sometimes it is the woman herself who feels guilty”, adds Marie-Françoise Leflon, president of Apec (Association for the employment of executives). “She is afraid, if she refuses late meetings, of finding herself on the sidelines. “Wanting to preserve family life – largely at the top of the priorities, ahead of friends or work, according to a recent study by Cegos – thus partly explains this disinterest in hierarchical ascent. With a division of tasks that is still unequal at home, an increased shortage of crèche places, women are still struggling to make a career, and represent only 34% of managers (Apec).
Judith, 37, accepted a management position in the media eight months ago... and already regrets it. “It’s terrible, but I have a rather ambivalent feeling. On the one hand, I am happy to be able to occupy this position but, on the other, I feel trapped. Not a day goes by that I don't think I shouldn't have. Ok, €600 more per month is great but you have to see what goes with it. The stress, the shit, the fear... so a life, in the end, much less interesting. It is therefore not surprising to learn that only 15% of young people and 21% of managers aspire to take on managerial responsibilities in the next three years (Cegos). Subject to more constraints (workload, stress, weight of responsibilities, etc.), with reduced room for manoeuvre, the status of manager has taken a beating. Virginie Loye, HR training manager at Cegos explains that “today, we are in a contract generation:we want to get involved, but in exchange for something. But there is no longer a balance”. “Being a chef is too hard! There is such competition inside and outside the company that we prefer to let go, ”confirms Florence Davy, deputy HRD of a subsidiary of an insurance group. A phenomenon of great magnitude that goes beyond the simple question of women.
Adepts of “working less to live better”, or “downshifters”, have never been so numerous, especially in Generation Y… “The Millennials do not think about careers but about well-being and personal development. They are allergic to the phrase "work more to earn more"! », Analyzes Virginie Loye. When you saw your parents get fired after more than thirty years toiling away for the same company, it leaves traces... / personal life, only 9.4% professional success (WoMen'Up and Mazars study, October 2012). If they don't/no longer want to be a boss, they are sometimes not against becoming... their own boss. “I can manage my time as I want, explains Christine, 39, who created her consulting firm, Optimôm-Care. But no question of losing my life to earn it. I do not set myself oversized development goals, because I also want to focus on my family life and other personal projects. To keep its flock, the company is forced to adapt. At Accenture, a management consulting company, employees who wish to take a break can benefit from flexible working hours, with responsibilities adapted to this schedule. Senior consultant in a public relations agency, Hélène, 44, mother of two, has obtained a part-time job after each birth, without her rise being affected. “I perform much better part-time than full-time. As I am well, I no longer have the niaque! Follower of the slow movement, which favors quality over speed, and author of "Praise of slowness", Carl Honoré does not say anything else:"Companies are beginning to understand that offering employees the possibility of working at their rhythm makes them more involved and more creative. And therefore more motivated to become managers?
