3/4 Staff Want Employers to Make Work Flexible Permanently

Flexible and/or remote work is critical to retain top talent, confirmed a new survey.

In fact, 76% of US staff say they want their company to make work permanently flexible in terms of schedule and/or location, according to a Harris Poll; carried out on behalf of Catalyst and CNBC. But their desire for work flexibility is being met with a conflicting message. Employees report that their employer thinks they are more innovative and work harder on-site.

The report entitled The Great Work/Life Divide: How Employee Desire for Flexibility and Concern From Companies Is Driving the Future of Work, shows that the Great Resignation – the mass, voluntary exodus from the workforce – will continue if companies and managers don’t demonstrate more empathy or care and understanding for employees’ concerns as well as life/work needs, as reported.

ADDITIONAL STRESS FOR WORKING PARENTS

There continues to be additional stress for working parents exacerbated by returns to in-person school. More than half of employed parents in the US are considering leaving their jobs because they feel their company (54%) or manager (51%) does not care about their concerns during the pandemic.

And almost two in three employed parents (65%) think their ability to do their best work has been impacted by worries over sending their children back to school in the pandemic. Most of the working parents say they want their children’s school to mandate masking for everyone (78%); and mandate vaccination for eligible students, teachers and school staff (69%).

SUPPORT FOR WORKING PARENTS

The data suggests that employed parents could benefit from more support from their employer. While roughly three out of five employed parents (62%) say their employer has improved their childcare offerings and policies since last year; a similar proportion of employed parents (61%) feel they are burnt out at work from managing their children’s educational needs during Covid-19.

Interestingly, while much has been written about the impact of the pandemic on working women, the survey found that employed men are far more likely than employed women to say they are considering quitting their job because their company (50% versus 30%) or manager (44% versus 29%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

“This survey is a wake-up call for CEOs,” said Lorraine Hariton, Catalyst President & CEO. “The 9-to-5, in-the-office paradigm is outdated. And if you don’t respond to your employees’ needs by offering flexible and remote-work options and by showing empathy, you are going to lose valuable talent and derail innovation.”

COVID IMPACT ON WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY

The survey found that half of employees intend to make a career change because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of those who intend to make a career change, 41% said they are seeking flexible and/or remote work; followed by 39% who desire a raise and/or promotion; and 33% with an interest in changing industries.

Almost one-third of employees who intend to make a career change because of the pandemic (32%), say they’re going to look for another job in the same industry; while about one in five (22%) are going to quit their current job and start their own business. But there appears to be a disconnect between employers and employees; most workers surveyed say they are getting the message that their company thinks employees are more innovative (72%) and work harder (75%) in the office or on-site.

Amongst those who work 100% remotely, nearly two in five (39%) say their employer has implemented practices or policies since the pandemic that have positively impacted their willingness to stay at their job.

Another recent survey revealed that two-thirds of US and UK workers allowed to work flexibly during the pandemic want employers to prioritise work-life balance moving forwards, according to a new study. Click here to read more.