According to industry leaders, past wisdom has all been wrong. The criteria we most commonly associate with a great job – such as a high salary, generous vacation allowance and financial reward schemes – are not the most important factors for creating a content, engaged and productive workforce. What employees actually value are flexible working, longer-term career benefits and an open working culture.
Perhaps the best way to understand what employees want is to consider some of the issues and the problems they face.
Tension between work and family life troubles many employees, with as many as one in four claiming to experience high levels of conflict between the two.
Far from a disengaged workforce per se, employees appear to be disgruntled because they are not being engaged enough. Only 39% of employees feel there are sufficient internal career opportunities at their workplace. At the same time many are dissatisfied with a lack of purpose in their current roles.
These problems are compounded by a strong perception of inadequate feedback from management and an equally prevalent sense of being undervalued.
So what can you do to create a happy, productive workplace?
In the infographic below 7 causes of employee dissatisfaction are highlighted – and the ways you can start to address them. The good news is that there are not significant costs to implementing these. The true challenge, however, is that many call for cultural changes in your organisation, and these may require a rethinking of your relationship with your staff. For instance:
- Flexible working hours and remote working rely on a culture of respect and trust.
- To find that existing financial reward schemes leave employees cold may ease the budget purse strings, but in its place staff want an engaging workplace, a stimulating work environment and meaningful, ongoing recognition of achievements. These can prove harder to give than cash or prizes.
We all pay lip service to the way that both employees and employers can benefit from a great workplace. This infographic shows you exactly what may be involved in providing one.
Are you ready for the challenge?
This infographic was created by Adecco.