How Do Employees Feel About Current Workplace Trends?
Highlights from Paychex’s survey
Posted on 03-26-2019, Read Time: Min
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While employers are responsible for implementing changes in the workplace, it is the habits, preferences, and behaviors of their employees – in addition to other external market dynamics – who are truly shaping workplace expectations when it comes to compensation, technology, culture, and more.
A recent survey by Paychex polled 757 full-time employees for their perspectives on a variety of workplace hot topics, including benefits, pay equity, HR technology, corporate social responsibility, and more, to determine how these issues play a role in evolving workplace expectations. The survey results offered insights on several key topics, including:
Benefits: As the healthcare landscape continues to change and new laws are introduced at the federal and state level, employees are split on the most complicated aspect of making annual benefit elections.
A recent survey by Paychex polled 757 full-time employees for their perspectives on a variety of workplace hot topics, including benefits, pay equity, HR technology, corporate social responsibility, and more, to determine how these issues play a role in evolving workplace expectations. The survey results offered insights on several key topics, including:
Benefits: As the healthcare landscape continues to change and new laws are introduced at the federal and state level, employees are split on the most complicated aspect of making annual benefit elections.
- Twenty-nine percent say the most complicated part is keeping up with plan changes; 28 percent say it’s trying to predict personal and family needs; and 28 percent say it’s evaluating the many providers and plan options.
- This differs by gender. For women, trying to predict personal and family needs when making benefits selections is the number one most complicated aspect of the process at 33 percent. That ranks third for men at 24 percent.
Retirement: The U.S. is facing a savings crisis and many employees feel uncertain about how far their retirement savings will take them.
- More than half (51 percent) of employees feel very confident in their retirement savings, but 25 percent of those add the caveat that their confidence is dependent on Social Security remaining intact.
- This confidence increases as employees get older: 48 percent of workers age 18-34 are confident in their retirement savings, 51 percent ages 35-49, and 58 percent of those 50-65.
Pay Equity: While gender pay discrimination has been prohibited under federal and state laws for many years, several states have proposed and passed new legislation to strengthen – or in some cases expand – the enforcement of these laws. Meanwhile, some employees are taking pay equity into their own hands and going directly to their employer when they don’t think they’re being paid fairly for doing the same work as their counterpart(s).
- Nearly half (48 percent) of employees – regardless of gender – say they have expressed verbal or written concern to their current employer that their current rate of pay was not equitable to another employee with a similar role and responsibilities at least once during their career.
- Seventy-seven percent of men are confident that their employer is auditing employee pay for gender equity, while slightly fewer (74 percent) women say the same.
HR Technology: Not only can employee self-service solutions result in increased efficiency and time savings for HR managers, but most employees now prefer to access and update their own information online for HR purposes.
- Seventy-one percent of employees agree that they expect employers to provide them with a high level of that allows them to accomplish various HR-related tasks (update address, enter life event, fill out tax forms, report hours, manage retirement, etc.) on their own.
- Eighty-five percent expect such self-service applications to provide a simple, intuitive user experience, similar to the consumer apps frequently used in their personal lives.
Workplace Ghosting: In the current tight labor market, candidates (and employees) are often in negotiation with several employers at once, waiting to receive an offer that works best for them. This has led to an increase in instances of workplace “ghosting” (leaving a current job or not reporting for a new job without informing the employer).
- When asked if they had ever “ghosted” from a current or potential job, 27 percent of employees admitted they had.
- Younger workers are much more likely to have ghosted than their older counterparts. Of those aged 18-34 and 35-49, 33 and 30 percent, respectively, admitted ghosting, compared to only seven percent of employees who are 50-65 years old.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Perhaps challenging popular opinion,working for an organization that is socially responsible is important to workers of all ages. More than ever before, candidates research prospective employers before applying and are looking for organizations whose values align with theirs.
- Ninety-five percent of those aged 18-34, and 94 percent of those 35-49, agree that it’s important for their employer to be socially responsible. That percentage dips slightly to 90 percent for those aged 50-65.
Bottom line: The future of work is here and employees’ opinions and actions are influencing the new workplace norm. It’s up to employers to listen to employees, seriously consider their preferences and tendencies, and take action where possible. Doing so will mean employers are able to create a productive workplace culture and remain competitive when it comes to hiring and retaining top talent in today’s tight labor market.
Author Bio
| Maureen Lally is VP of Marketing at Paychex. Visit www.paychex.com Connect Maureen Lally |
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