What do jobseekers want when looking for employment? Increasingly, support for their personal well-being is moving to the top of their priority list. A survey from human capital management software provider Paychex, Inc., found that 62 percent of respondents strongly agree or agree that employee well-being support and benefits are a top priority when applying for or considering their next job.
In its analysis of the survey results, Paychex points to the COVID-19 pandemic as driving changing employee perspectives on their overall well-being. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of employees stated that prior to the pandemic their overall well-being was good or very good, while during the height of the pandemic, fewer than half of employees felt that way (44 percent). And while that number is starting to recover—at 59 percent in the latest survey—well-being has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“As workers continue to leave their jobs in record numbers, organizations need to constantly take the pulse of what employees expect from their employer and adjust their offerings accordingly,” says Jeanne Meister, the founder of Future Workplace, which conducted the survey with Paychex, and executive vice president at Executive Networks. “A focus on supporting their well-being will be a standard expectation that most employees will have of their employer, now and in the future.”
Less than half of respondents (48 percent) reported that their employer prioritizes their well-being, although the Paychex survey identified several opportunities for employers to improve their support of employee well-being. When asked to consider the five core components of well-being and identify which component they’re struggling with most, employees specified financial well-being (29 percent), mental/emotional well-being (24 percent), physical well-being (17 percent), social well-being (17 percent) and career well-being (13 percent).
Asked to identify the actions employers can take to improve employee well-being, worker opinions varied. Providing additional paid time off was the frontrunner (35 percent), followed by offering better mental health benefits (29 percent), offering better health insurance (28 percent), more adequate staffing (28 percent) and offering better financial wellness training and benefits (27 percent).
The full report from Paychex, including generational breakdowns and more details, is available here.
