Randstad’s latest Workmonitor has identified a new ‘workplace baseline’. The research, which surveyed over 26,000 workers in 35 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, found that despite the challenging economic landscape, geopolitical shifts and technological advances, talent continues to have multifaceted expectations, reshaping the future of the workplace.
For the first time in Workmonitor’s history, work-life balance is deemed more important than pay (83 per cent vs 82 per cent). The report shows that talent prioritises personalisation, community and future-ready skilling, and employers need to be ready to respond.
Talent are taking action if their expectations are not met, as almost half (45 per cent) say they have campaigned for better conditions at work. This is further evidenced by 44 per cent reporting they have quit a job because they thought their workplace was toxic, a relative increase of over 33 per cent compared to last year.
The report shows that talent wants their workplace to align with their values and preferences, as a third (29 per cent) have already quit because they didn’t agree with the viewpoints or stances of their leadership. Up by a relative increase of over 26 per cent, close to half (48 per cent) wouldn’t accept a job if the company didn’t share their social and environmental values. A similar proportion (43 per cent) have considered leaving because of their employer’s stance on political issues.
Talent also wants alignment on flexible working. Close to a third (31 per cent) have left a job because it didn’t provide enough of it. Younger workers are more likely to enjoy it as a benefit, with close to half (40 per cent) of Gen Zs saying they’ve been given more flexibility in terms of location in the past six months compared to just 17 per cent of Baby Boomers.
Working community
Over the decades, the steady rise of individualism has led many to seek a sense of purpose and connection in their professional lives. We now see that the vast majority (83 per cent) of talent also want their workplace to provide a sense of community. Over half (55 per cent) are willing to quit if they feel they don’t belong – a substantial increase from last year’s 37 per cent global average.
In some cases pay is deprioritised over community at work, as a third (36 per cent) of respondents wouldn’t mind earning less money if they had friends at work. At the same time, this has a bearing on talent’s productivity, as a strong majority (85 per cent) believe they perform better on the job if they feel a sense of community with their colleagues.
Workmonitor highlights that learning and development continues to be essential for talent, yet there’s an expectation-reality gap. Last year, 29 per cent said they would quit if they weren’t provided development opportunities to future-proof their careers, a figure sharply climbing to 41 per cent this year. AI is the most sought after learning and development opportunity (23 per cent), followed by IT and technological literacy (11 per cent) and management and leadership skills (7 per cent).
Despite this demand, over a third of talent (36 per cent) report not receiving such training opportunities from their employers. This tallies with Randstad’s employer data which shows that only 9 per cent of businesses offer coaching programs that are open to all employees. Compounding this, demand for inherent skills such as continuous learning, resilience, empathy, and ethical judgment has surged by 81 per cent.
RTO debate still on
The return-to-office (RTO) debate shows no sign of slowing down. Given the choice, talent were most likely (26 per cent) to want to work in the office three days a week. However, according to their reported company policies, 31 per cent of employers want talent in full time, with less than a third (29 per cent) expecting three days or less.
Randstad’s in-demand skills report showed that fully remote roles have declined by around 50 per cent, while hybrid roles surged 300 per cent. There’s a breakdown of trust when it comes to flexible working, as over a quarter (28 per cent) of talent don’t think their manager trusts them to maintain productivity while working from home.
In addition to the mistrust on RTO, there are broader trust gaps forming between talent and their managers. Nearly a third (30 per cent) feel they can’t trust their manager to have their best interests in mind, and even more (33 per cent) believe they can’t trust their manager with career progression.
As a third (31 per cent) have already quit a job because they couldn’t trust their leadership team, it’s a business imperative to ensure these relationships are strong and mutually beneficial as part of the new ‘workplace baseline’.
“Many expected the challenging economic conditions of 2024 to temper talent expectations, but the Workmonitor shows the opposite has occurred,” commented Randstad CEO, Sander van ‘t Noordende. “We have seen a new baseline established with talent continuing to hold multifaceted expectations.
“For today’s talent, the significance of work is complex and needs to be personalised,” Sander added. “They are setting the terms on what truly matters to them as individuals and within their communities. Successful businesses are those that will adapt and adjust to this new talent baseline.The solution lies in empowering our key resource: people.”