What employees want most in 2018… And what they don’t!

 

In a candidate driven market and, let’s face it most are these days, I often talk to my clients about the importance of being an “employer of choice”. In 20 years of working in recruitment I have seen unprecedented progression in the areas of employee attraction, flexible working policies and recognition of the need to compete for the best talent.  With flexibility and focus on lifestyle and wellbeing higher on the agenda than ever before, here are just a few of the key things todays sought after candidates are focusing on when choosing who to work for.

• Work Life Balance

With some notable exceptions, gone are the days where a culture of working excessive long hours was celebrated within organisations and burning the candle at both ends is no longer considered big or clever. With an increased awareness of the link between mental health and work life balance along with high-profile rulings on working hours and employer expectations regarding responding to work emails out of hours, employees are now having the confidence to challenge excessive and unnecessary long hour cultures and vote with their feet.  A focus on output rather than hours is now considered far more effective.

• Flexibility

Linked to the above, employees are now demanding the flexibility to take leave at various times during their working life and choose their hours to fit in with family commitments. Whilst the traditional “gap year” has long been acceptable, improvements in legislation have acknowledged the need for shared parental/paternity leave and extended unpaid parental leave. It is also now considered perfectly acceptable to take career breaks later in life or take time out to care for family members, volunteer or study. The latest offering from some employers is pawternity leave, offering paid time off when taking ownership of a new pet. Common sense or barking mad?

• Environment

We all know that there is a strong link between aesthetics and behaviour. Retailers spend millions every year ensuring the right lighting and colours will entice us to come inside, stay longer and spend more. Our working environments should ideally encourage creativity and collaboration as well as meeting the basic requirements for health and safety and ergonomics. Ground-breaking employers such as Google, Innocent, Zoopla and Glassdoor offer a mix of themed rooms, AstroTurf, swimming pools and games rooms as well as free breakfasts to tempt the best talent and ensure they stay. Whilst not everyone can compete at this level, employees state breakout areas, kitchen facilities and outside space in the top ten requests. Being able to bring your pet to work is also a big tick in the box for employees when choosing where to spend their working day.

• Continuous Development

Candidates don’t generally expect to stay in the same job, or indeed the same organisation for the entirety of their career. A clear succession plan is usually required to keep them motivated and challenged. One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the drive and acceptance of changes in direction throughout career. Wise employers are recognising core values and commitment as more important than specific experience and offering employees the chance to re-train or change direction mid-way or at various stages of their career, whilst remaining with the organisation.  Indeed, it is now widely acceptable for people to have more than one career or to take time out to try other things and return to the workplace older and wiser having had a change of scene.

• Recognition

“Money - it’s why we all work isn’t it?”  I’ve heard this a lot of times over the years when negotiating offers of employment and, of course financial reward is important and pivotal to many aspects of our lives. Employers do certainly need to research current markets to ensure they are offering competitive salaries in line with market rates.   But is money the most important thing? Well yes, and no... although large salaries can be tempting and undoubtably allow us more luxuries, experience has shown that once the initial temptation of more money has worn off, other things become a focus. In an age of financial uncertainty employee benefits such as pension contributions, staff discount schemes and healthcare can add up to impact the bigger picture. Aside from financial reward, team camaraderie and feeling challenged can be equally as rewarding.  It seems that in 2018 showing up for the pay check just isn’t enough anymore.  We’re looking for purpose, value and fulfilment.

• Values and Vision alignment

In recent years many high-profile companies have been publicly taken to task on their global footprint, environmental impact and tax policies. In an age of social media, we are sharing our thoughts, opinions and feedback on everything from service in restaurants to holidays and current affairs more than ever. With companies more accountable, employees are checking out employer reputations on websites such as www.glassdoor.co.uk more than ever and viewing their employer as an extension of their own vision and values. Many of the world’s largest companies now invest millions in giving back to their communities and supporting charities which reflect their business interests and values.

• The right people

“ People don’t always leave jobs - they leave people” is often said and it certainly rings true from years of interviewing candidates and managing their next career move. A lack of support during challenging times or an overbearing, or unsupportive boss and catty colleagues can have a big impact on employee engagement, motivation and happiness. Similarly, employees will often follow a great boss from one organisation to the next. In an age of increased awareness of bullying, employers need to ensure their leaders are ethical and inclusive and are promoting positive management styles and HR policies which encourage, empower and motivate as well as addressing unacceptable communication styles.

Great leadership can go a long way and ultimately result in superb employee retention rates, even if your organisation doesn’t have the luxury of offering employees’ slides connecting floors, Astroturf breakout areas or swimming pools.

Extension Recruitment specialises in the attraction of the best talent across managerial, professional and technical personnel.