Work/life balance found to be the most important factor in defining career success for UK women

LinkedIn survey finds women feel they can have a career and successful family life

A survey has found work/life balance is the most important factor in defining career success for modern working women.

Global research into 5,000 women by professional network LinkedIn found 66 per cent of UK women believe they can 'have it all' with almost the same number saying a good work/life balance is the most important indicator of professional success today – compared to 39 per cent a decade ago. This shift was mirrored globally.

British working women also seemed confident about their careers, with eight out of 10 of those surveyed saying they consider themselves to be successful. Ngaire Moyes, a spokesperson for LinkedIn Europe, said: 'The definition of success has transformed over the last ten years. Our research shows that modern working women are far more likely to view success as effectively balancing their personal and professional lives rather than by the value of their pay packet.

'In fact, the number of women in the UK who consider a high salary as an indicator of success has fallen 13 per cent in the last decade.'

However two in five UK women say juggling family life is the biggest challenge to their career, and three quarters said flexible working provision was on their wish lists. This was echoed by women in other countries by almost nine out of 10 women.

Former Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry said: 'Flexible working is essential to the future of the workplace. With more people – not just women – having more hectic lives and working more globally, it is important that companies start thinking about the policies they have in place in order to keep their workforces efficient, motivated and happy.'

Top tips from LinkedIn to redefine success and take control of your career:

• Don’t wait for your employer to give you guidance on your career path
• Choose someone you admire at your company or elsewhere and look at the career steps they made to be successful. Check out the LinkedIn profiles of the professional women you admire most.
• Seek out women who can act as mentors to you - a third of global respondents cited not having a mentor as a major challenge in their career
• Join LinkedIn groups for professional women in your industry or region and make new connections – including potential mentors
• Save time and effort by using online networks to meet like-minded women professionals, mentors and key business contacts
•  Discuss with your peers how best to handle the pressures of juggling work and family and provide support and learn from each other

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