In Grant Thornton LLP’s survey, State of Work in America, they found that 33% of the 1500 full-time employees that were surveyed indicated that they are actively looking for a new job. The survey specifically focused on questions regarding healthcare, culture, hybrid work, and benefits. Through this survey Grant Thorton is able to shed some light on what employees are looking for in an employer and how businesses can retain their staff.
One large discovery from the survey is that employees are desiring flexibility in a position. In today’s world, it was thought flexibility for most individuals meant working from home 100%,
however, the survey actually found that employees are searching for workplaces that are understanding of family responsibilities such as childcare and eldercare. It is important for employers to keep in mind staffs’ responsibilities that they have outside of the office and businesses should do their best to give employees time to care for what’s important.
The survey also found that 56% of individuals are looking forward to physically returning to an office setting. However, the driving factor that is motivating employees to resign, is the requirement to be in the office full-time. About 40% of the surveyed employees indicated that they will find a different position if they are forced to return to the office full-time because they value having flexibility.
A majority of employees are wanting a better work life balance and additional time that they can devote to what matters most, so employers should consider the type of flexibility they can afford to offer their staff.
There has now been a shift in employees wanting more pay to wanting their employers to respect their outside responsibilities. More than half of the individuals interviewed in Grant Thorton’s survey confirmed that they would be willing to give up a 10%-20% salary increase if this means they would be provided with more flexibility. With this in mind, as employers start to create their return-to-work strategies they should start to consider what the needs of their employees are in order to enhance the workplace culture.
Almost half of the survey respondents indicated that they do not feel that their employer understands their needs and 40% explained that their voices are not heard in the workplace. It is possible that some managers do not have the proper leadership training to assist staff so it would be beneficial for businesses to have a stronger focus on training managers to help increase employee satisfaction.
Overall, this survey shows that the employee experience is changing and that individuals are searching for employers that are understanding of their needs.
In order to help increase job satisfaction, businesses should begin taking time to listen to their employees’ concerns, attempt to create a more flexible environment, and provide managers with additional training so that they can continue to support their staff.
