What Employees Want From Their IT-Job Now
If you want to attract and retain the top talent, offer your employees a sense of purpose.
If you're considering resigning, think again! Many organizations are now offering incentives like higher salaries and signing bonuses to keep their workforce happy.
But what do today's workers really need? Finding the answer can help employers to provide practical solutions for attracting and retaining top talent.
Hesitation or Renegotiation?
We have all had to adapt to huge changes over the past two years.
The pandemic has forced companies to change the way they operate, and many employees have had to adapt to working remotely. At the same time, many people have lost their jobs. When they had an opportunity to return to work, many began to rethink the role that career plays in their lives.
It's time to get back to work! The recent sluggish return of workers to the labor market has been termed by some economists as the “Great Hesitation,” with individuals reluctant to return to work as a result of concerns stemming from the pandemic, including risk of infection and lack of affordable childcare. However, many survey reports highlight that a high percentage of workers intend to switch jobs — not leave the workforce entirely.
It's not that people don't want to work hard, it's that they want their employment experience to be fulfilling.
The future of workforce
Young people, born after 1995 are summed up to form Generation Z, this group of people is a powerful force and makes up a significant portion of the population. By 2025, Gen Z will be the most sought-after talent pool in the world.
Zoomers are adaptable and have shown great strength in the face of adversity. The problems they have faced have changed their work ethic though. They are more committed to risky ideas. Also, money is less of a priority. Social benefits like work-life-balance are more important.
My Motivation
In my many years in technology and operating roles in the public and private sectors, I've never seen employees who are only motivated by money. You don't have to go big to make a difference for your employees - focus on these four areas for engagement:
- Work-life-Balance benefits
- Flexible work hours
- Empathy and transparency
- Worthwhile work
1. Work-life-Balance benefits
Job seekers should look for more than just adequate healthcare insurance. They should also seek out benefits that contribute to their wellbeing, such as fitness-plan allowances and matching charitable donations. In fact, Gallup has identified five elements of wellbeing, including career, financial, social, community and physical factors.
Today's workers are thinking about wellbeing in broader terms. If an employee can work remotely, but then experiences social isolation, wellbeing is degraded. If a worker earns a good salary but still faces temporary financial hardship, that too is a wellbeing issue.
Employers need to take notice of these issues and find the right combination of wellbeing elements for their industry and organization. If they don't, worker engagement and productivity will suffer.
2. Flexible work hours
About half of the 125 million jobs in the US could be done remotely. Around a third of people doing these jobs would prefer not coming into the office at all. 60% of them would prefer a hybrid system of both office and home office possibilities.
Every company will need to identify the roles that can be performed remotely and the balance between in-person and remote work. But even as the global health crisis wanes, flexible work environments will remain the norm. Such elasticity enables employees to better balance work with personal commitments, and also allows for a more diverse pool of employees.
Top performers should be able to work whenever, wherever, and however they want in order to best contribute to your enterprise.
3. Empathy and transparency
Your employees are a vital part of your organization, and they want insights into financials, strategy, and decision-making. Leaders need to keep staff informed and engage them in decision-making processes.
Employees crave stability and transparency in these uncertain times- show them that your company can provide that.
A corporate culture that is driven by empathy and transparency will help to make employees feel valued.
4. Worthwhile work
It's crucial for remote teams to feel emotionally connected to company culture and goals, and a sense of purpose is a big part of that.
It's not enough to just have a mission statement - you need to show that your company is truly mission-driven if you want to attract the best talent.
A company's commitment to its customers enables employees to tangibly contribute to that commitment and feel that their work matters.
Conclusion
It is all about setting outcome goals that are more than just financial targets; financial targets need to be a consequence of the outcomes, not the other way around. Understanding what prospective employees want from your organization today is key to winning the talent battle and ensuring your business success.
