What things are important to employees?
Business owners and executives always claim to widely offer the things that are important to their employees. But do executives always know what is important to employees? Many of them have likely been in an employee’s shoes before starting their own business or becoming an executive, so they may have an idea of what’s important. But with the ever changing needs of employees, it’s important to keep up to date and be fully informed on what’s important to employees.
By doing this you can ensure that you are providing the right professional care, maintenance, and perks to your employees to help them feel valued, motivated, and confident within the workplace. This will not only increase employee retention, but it will improve how attractive your job vacancies are to potential candidates.
Let’s start by looking at what employees say is important to them
Some of the thing’s employees say to be important include:
- Competitive compensation – a strong wage or salary that positively compares to other companies
- Flexible work locations – different options for work arrangements, for example hybrid working
- Flexible work schedule – hours that can meet the employee’s personal needs
- Supplemented training programs – proper training in order to help the employee fulfil their job role confidently
- Access to social media Is this really relevant in today’s working world given that people have access to smartphones and can access it whenever, plus most employers allow this now?
So how do employers fare in these areas?
84% of employees say that competitive compensation is important to them. Meanwhile just 62% of businesses state that their company widely offers competitive compensation.
49% of employees say that a flexible work location is important. However, just 36% of businesses state that their company offers a flexible work location for all employees.
54% of employees say that a flexible work schedule is important to them. There is a still a slight short fall in this area as only 47% of businesses state that their company widely offers a flexible work schedule to their employees.
59% of employees say that supplemented training programs are a high priority to them, which is closely matched by 51% of businesses who state that their company widely offers supplemented training programs to their employees.
Finally, 55% of employees say that access to social media is important to them; yet only 40% of businesses state that they offer this.
This clearly shows that many businesses don’t quite hit the mark when it comes to knowing what’s important to their employees. If you don’t know what your employees want from you, how can you provide for them?
Listening to your employees and their needs is crucial to the success and growth of your business. Not only does it ensure that your employees will feel confident and valued, but it will also help give your business a positive reputation which can be reflected both in your recruitment process and when working with clients.
Need help identifying the priorities of your employees ?
Here at HR Your Business Matters, we offer a motivational maps service. This will give you a deeper understanding of what keeps your employees feeling motivated, and allows you to have a full awareness of their needs and how to meet them. Contact us directly on 01733 739660 and our team will be happy to help.
