If they were perfectly content with living that way so that they could support their lifestyle outside of work, then they would not make any effort to do anything to improve themselves for the sake of improving their situation at work.
If they were happy living that way, then it was less likely that they would take more time out of their life to learn new things they would need to improve their work performance or to work toward a promotion.
There would be some jobs that would require certain uniforms, equipment, or supplies to be purchased by the workers, but not everyone was always so willing to pay for such things unless it was mandatory for every employee.
An example would be how some cleaning companies would require their cleaners to purchase their cleaning supplies and equipment rather than having them given to them.
