What employees expect of a workplace now

The upheaval of the pandemic has caused a shift in the workplace landscape. It has changed the way employees view their jobs and what they expect. For employers, it’s more important than ever to take the time to understand employee expectations.

The great contemplation 

Cameron Shepherd, founder and director of Shape HR, says people have been reassessing what’s most important to them and the kind of job that will fulfill those needs. 

“Through Covid-19, what we’ve seen is not quite the great resignation in Australia, but the great contemplation,” says Shepherd. “People are really taking stock and asking ‘what’s important to me? How can I balance both my career aims and the lifestyle that I want to live? And what is the type of organisation that I want to be working for and the work that really speaks to me as a person?’”

If successful recruitment and retention is high on your priority list (and it should be), consider how you can improve your business by listening to what workers find most important. People are now keenly aware of whether businesses are truly committed to offering flexibility, work-life balance and whether career progression is on the table for them, SEEK data reveals.

1. Flexible work arrangements

Forty-four percent of employees say that flexible hours and working arrangements are now more important to them than pre-pandemic, while thirty-five percent are prioritising working from home, SEEK’s research reveals. For Shepherd, the key to success for employers is to clearly identify these priorities from the start. “Work preferences should be captured in the initial stages of recruitment,” says Shepherd. “What does your ideal work week look like? Where would it be? What sort of balance are you looking for?” 

Shepherd says that employers need to consider how flexible hours or work locations are managed, such as through allowing employees to complete tasks like learning modules in their own time (‘asynchronous learning’), reconsidering how meetings function with remote participants, and whether there are certain times of the day they need to be online. 

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2. Work/life balance

With forty-eight percent of employees now prioritising work/life balance, Shepherd says that the leadership team need to consider how their own actions filter down. “It’s got to start with the top,” says Shepherd. “What sort of behaviours are being modelled by the leaders of the organisation? 

Are they sending emails outside of hours? Are they taking regular leave breaks? Are they interested in the whole person in their employees, or just the metrics of productivity?”

3. Career progression

Seventy-four percent of people say they’re more likely to apply for a job if the ad clearly lists employee benefits like career progression. If employees are already thinking about their career trajectory when they’re applying for a job, Shepherd says employers should be too. “It’s really important for employers to get a clear sense of where employees see themselves in even a year’s time,” says Shepherd. “A new starter to the organisation is already thinking ‘where’s my next career move? What’s available in terms of my development?’” 

For employers looking to attract and retain employees, it’s more important than ever to show them that they are more than just the role they’re being hired for. “Employees need to know what the requirement is to move into a different function or division or for a promotion, and how the organisation can support them to get there,” Shepherd says. There are a range of options available to employers to show support for an employee’s career goals. “Things like secondments, stretch assignments, being able to job shadow people in roles that sound interesting,” suggests Shepherd. 

Going even further, Shepherd suggests employers can assist with employee aspirations outside of their current role and business. “A lot of employees see themselves as entrepreneurs in the future,” Shepherd says. “Be comfortable with the fact that they’ve got a side hustle, and support that. Have we got access to mentors and coaches and information that can help them set up their own business? And can we provide some flexibility around work that enables that? That’s one area that’s not going to go away.”

Source: Independent research conducted by Nature on behalf of SEEK. Interviewing 500 Australians. Published Apr 2022.

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