Survey Finds Employees Crave Flexibility

More than half (54%) of employees surveyed from around the world would consider leaving their job post-COVID-19 pandemic if they are not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work, according to the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey.

The survey – one of the largest global surveys of its kind – canvassed the views of more than 16,000 employees across 16 countries and multiple industries and job roles. It explores employee attitudes and experiences to work throughout the pandemic and into the “next normal.”

FLEXIBILITY 
The survey finds that nine in ten employees want flexibility in where and when they work. Given the choice, more than half of employee respondents (54%) would choose flexibility in when they work. By comparison, 40% want flexibility in where they work. On average, employees would want to work between two and three days remotely after the pandemic. When pandemic restrictions ease in their countries, 22% would prefer to work full time in the office, with 33% of employee respondents saying they want a shorter working week altogether. More than half (67%) believe their productivity can be accurately measured irrespective of location.

JOB RETENTION 
The job roles most likely to move jobs include managers/leaders, those with technology or finance roles, and caregivers. Those most likely to stay in their current roles include baby boomers, individuals with 10+ years of tenure, and those in government or education roles. Attitudes to job retention differ by age, with millennials twice as likely as baby boomers to quit. Despite the apparent willingness to move jobs for more flexible working arrangements, most employee respondents (76%) say they are satisfied with their jobs, and almost all (93%) say they plan to stay in their current roles for the following 12 months.
“Employees’ willingness to change jobs in the current economic environment is a game-changer,”  said Liz Fealy, EY Global People Advisory Services Deputy Leader and EY Global Workforce Advisory and Solutions Leader. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that flexibility can work for both employees and employers, and flexible working is the new currency for attracting and retaining top talent. Employers who want to keep the best people now and in the next normal will need to put flexible working front and center of their talent strategy.”

REMOTE WORKING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE 
The survey also canvassed attitudes to existing work practices, with employee respondents broadly positive about the impact of remote working. Almost half (48%) say their organizational culture has changed and improved during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, while only 31% believe it has worsened.

HEALTH AND SAFETY 
The survey also explored employee respondents’ views on the COVID-19 vaccine and found that 61% want their company to make vaccination a pre-requisite for working from the office. Attitudes toward vaccinations vary between geographies, with 66% of respondents in South America agreeing that companies should require vaccination of all employees, compared with a comparative low of 52% in EMEIA.

INCREASED TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS
The prospect of increasingly widespread flexible working is leading to more demands for technology, both on-site and in the home office. Sixty-four percent of respondents say they want better technology in the office (e.g. faster internet and videoconferencing), almost half (48%) say they want companies to upgrade at-home hardware (e.g. extra monitors and headsets), and almost the same proportion (47%) would like re-imbursement for high-speed internet/phone expenses. However, despite the shift toward new ways of working and the rapid adoption of virtual meeting technology, 67% would like to travel for business moderately to extensively after the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase from 49% in the previous survey, which was conducted in 2020.
“Organizational culture has historically been built based on shared in-person experiences and it is fascinating to see that the new ways of working have improved such culture in the eyes of many employees,” said Roselyn Feinsod, principal, people advisory services, Ernst & Young LLC, said. “As we look toward the longer-term and organizations continue to transform their operations, employers will need to consistently re-assess conceptions of productivity and the impact on their cultures, ensuring their team’s approach is optimized for the in-person, hybrid and digital work experience.”

Learn more at ey.com.

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