It’s Not a Pay Rise: Flexible Working Voted Top Office Perk
Millennials are prioritising the work-life balance over money.
Wellness is the most important pursuit in life for many Millennial employees.
We don’t want to pass up those long weekends at festivals and put off having a family because our job is getting in the way.
We also may want to take a Friday off here and there or leave a little early when the mood strikes as opposed to taking an entire week off at a time.
We seek a more results-oriented work, in which productivity counts for more than presenteeism (i.e being seen working).
A survey of 1,000 UK workers has revealed the top perks workers want to see offered as standard by their employer.
The majority of survey respondents (48%) would prefer flexible working over other perks.
The full list of the top five desired workplace perks is:
1. Flexible working hours (48%)
2. Pension schemes (44%)
3. Performance bonuses (34%)
4. Matching pension contributions (34%)
5. Long service awards (28%)
We want to work flexi-time or compressed hours. According to workingmums.co.uk’s annual survey published on mumforce.co.uk the demand for flexible working is significantly bigger for younger people than for over 50s.
We also want to be able to work from home one day a week or travel for a month and work from our laptop.
Why the hell not? Technology is working in our favour and we can live our life to the fullest. With cloud resources such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, you can access all the documents you need even without an Internet connection. If you were on an island somewhere with no access to WiFi you would still be able to use cloud features for work, as explained here https://setapp.com/how-to/work-on-google-docs-offline-using-mac. The ability to launch files without an internet connection is excellent for travelling and working simultaneously.
Millennials are more vocal about work-life balance, autonomy and flexibility compared to previous generations.
We want a wholesome life where we actually have time and energy for hobbies, travel, friend and family.
Currently, about 41% of global businesses offer some degree of remote working.
To showcase some of the companies embracing work flexibility, FlexJobs has highlighted 15 Fortune 500 companies currently hiring for remote jobs with Amazon, Dell, and Amex being among them.
Why Millennials prefer flexible work over a pay rise?
A new study by HSBC reveals that flexible and remote working are more likely to motivate staff and ultimately increase workplace productivity than financial incentives.
This is not to say that money isn’t important – perks should never be used as a substitute for fair salaries.
Given we are already earning a fair wage, many of us would rather have more time to spend with our friends and family than to receive a 3% salary increase and more stress.
When previous generations hoped for a work-life balance, Millennials expect their careers to complement their personal lives without compromises.
And organisations that offer flexible working will have a better chance of attracting and retaining Millennials, who are predicted to make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025.
Offering your employees an opportunity to work flexibly is more than just a perk, it’s a way of showing that you trust your staff. Trust is paramount to work happiness. When we are given control and autonomy, we do everything to not disappoint, so we deliver above and beyond.
Do you agree?
