"Even High Salaries and Promotions Are Unappealing... 'Job-Dropping' Spreads Among U.S. Office Workers"

Turning Down High-Paying Offers for Work-Life Balance
Beyond Avoiding Promotions: Redefining Success

Among American office workers, there is a growing trend of rejecting high salaries and promotions as health and work-life balance—so-called 'work-life balance'—take priority.

On June 3 (local time), the New York Post reported this trend, citing the results of a survey conducted by the AI-powered career platform Kickresume, which surveyed 1,028 office workers.

According to the survey, 80% of respondents said that their mental health had deteriorated because of their jobs, and 39% reported that they had actually quit a job due to mental health issues. Seven out of ten respondents said they would turn down a higher-paying job if it did not offer mental health-related benefits.

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In particular, office workers are turning down not only aggressive recruitment offers from other companies but also internal promotion opportunities. This tendency to choose roles with relatively less responsibility and pressure, rather than climbing up the corporate ladder, is known as the phenomenon of 'job-dropping.'

Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume, explained, "Excessive work stress and pressure are leading to burnout, making job-dropping an attractive alternative for those seeking better work-life balance or needing to care for children and family."

He added, "Careers are often compared to a ladder, but personal growth does not always mean moving upward. What may look like a step back on the surface can actually be an intentional choice to protect one's mental health."

Experts analyze this phenomenon as evidence that the very definition of success is changing, going beyond simply avoiding promotions. In the past, high positions and large salaries were seen as symbols of success, but recently there is a growing tendency to also consider mental health, leisure, family life, and a sustainable work environment.

The New York Post reported, "Office workers no longer pursue higher positions unconditionally," adding, "A shift in values that prioritizes quality of life is influencing the overall culture of American workplaces."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.