According to recent research published by The HR Director, employees value work/life balance over salary.
Of the 1,006 UK workers polled, over two-thirds consider work/life balance more important than pay and benefits combined. Job security was found to be the third most important aspect for over half of respondents, followed by job satisfaction.
Surprisingly, only around a quarter of respondents cite career advancement opportunities or the freedom and trust to do a job without being micromanaged as important priorities. And less than one in 10 think regular coaching and feedback is an essential element of a job.
Interestingly, while the top four most important aspects remain constant – work/life balance, pay and benefits, job security and job satisfaction – there were differences between on-site, hybrid and remote workers. For example, work/life balance is by far the most-valued job aspect for nearly four in five remote workers, compared to only two-thirds of hybrid or in-office workers.
Staff who are office-based, on the other hand, see greater value in aspects relating to their physical workspace and colleagues, such as a healthy work environment (47%), feeling safe at work (40%), and feeling included and belonging at work (38%).
To see the full list of job aspects ranked by popularity, please visit The HR Director. The value people place on each of those aspects differs significantly depending on their working model, industry, role and organisation. The research authors recommend therefore that HR professionals run their own surveys internally to find out what matters most to staff, and build retention and recruitment strategies accordingly.
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