A new study by a HR software company has found that a 4-day week is now the most sought-after perk at work, with 63 per cent of Britons wishing for this. The study was undertaken by the team behind all-in-one HR software company www.factorialhr.co.uk and covered 2,200 Britons over the age of 18, all of whom are currently in full-time employment.
It was initially found that just two in five employees in Britain (39 per cent) are happy with their current benefits package at work, while 43 per cent think they could be better, with the remainder not having a strong opinion either way. Indeed, as many as one in ten Britons (10 per cent) revealed that their place of work doesn’t offer any benefits at all.
Those with a benefits package were asked whether they utilise the perks on offer, with one in three (32 per cent) revealing that they haven’t used any at all. A further 40 per cent say they have used the available benefits, but not regularly, while the remaining 28 per cent use them regularly.
The benefits most regularly taken advantage of (by relevant participants) included birthday days off (71 per cent), gym memberships (68 per cent) and staff discounts (64 per cent). In comparison, private healthcare was the least likely benefit to be utilised by employees (11 per cent).
To find out the advantage of a good benefits package, those that said they were happy with their work perks were asked if it made them more motivated to do a good job, to which 61 per cent answered in the affirmative.
Respondents were also asked which perks they would most like to be provided with by their employers and – when able to select more than one – the top answers were as follows:
1. 4-day week – 63 per cent (of respondents said they wanted this perk)
2. Gym membership – 60 per cent
3. A full day off for a birthday – 53 per cent
4. Subsidised travel – 49 per cent
5. Discounted products – 46 per cent
When asked what they would choose if given a choice between more benefits and extra pay, the majority of respondents (71 per cent) said that they would prefer a boost to their salary.
“Benefits, or work perks, are a vital part of ensuring that you maintain a happy workforce,” affirmed Bernat Farrero, CEO of www.factorialhr.co.uk. “By not offering decent perks as part of the job you endanger turning employees – both old and new – away. It was interesting to learn that a 4-day week is now the most sought-after work perk, especially with the recent news that Scotland is set to trial it.”
