In life, success is often much more than material wealth or salary level. A true sense of fulfillment comes from various sources – such as personal development, healthy relationships, achieving goals, and finding purpose in what we do. What we consider success today may seem completely unimportant tomorrow. To find out what Croatians most often associate with success and whether they feel successful in their workplace, the portal MojPosao, part of Alma Career Croatia, conducted a survey of 2000 respondents.
Most consider themselves successful
According to the survey results, three-quarters of employees (75%) consider themselves successful in their jobs, while only 3% consider themselves unsuccessful. Interestingly, as many as 22% of respondents have never thought about their own success at work. Analyzing demographic data, it was shown that men (77%) and women (79%) are almost equally likely to consider themselves successful. However, Generation X, or older respondents, perceive themselves as successful (83%) compared to younger participants in the survey (77%). On the other hand, two-thirds of respondents (63%) believe that the pursuit of success increases stress, 45% emphasize that success brings greater responsibility, and 34% cite overtime hours as an integral part of that package.
Salary as a partial indicator of success
Although salary often enters the definition of success, it is by no means the only factor. Respondents interpret success differently: for some, it is job satisfaction, for others, the fulfillment they feel at the end of the workday. Only a small number of respondents mention money as a key element of success.
Respondents emphasize that success arises from a combination of different aspects: satisfaction with work tasks, autonomy at work, and a balanced relationship between work and private life. For example, working twelve hours a day, despite a high salary and position, does not necessarily mean being perceived as successful.
Although income does not fully define success, it often contributes to the perception of success. This indicator is particularly important for men (87%), while a slightly smaller number of women (80%) consider it significant. Those with the highest salaries almost entirely view income as an indicator of success (90%); the same view is shared by 76% of respondents with the lowest incomes.
