Workers are calling for more from their employers to help them shift from surviving to thriving, prioritising flexibility along with factors such as trust, purpose and well-being, according to new research from ManpowerGroup and Thrive.
The research, part of ManpowerGroup’s What Workers Want series, is based on a survey of more than 5,000 workers across five countries and reveals that almost all workers (93%) now view flexibility as important. However, the nature of that flexibility varies. Workers from all backgrounds are now asking for flexibility on their own terms, with 45% wanting to choose their own start and end times, and 18% willing to reduce pay to work a four-day week to achieve better balance. The results also point to a changing role for leaders as trust and shared values are increasingly significant – with workers willing to vote with their feet if they do not feel adequately supported.
“A lasting legacy of the pandemic will be flexibility, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Workers want more choice, autonomy and consideration for their well-being.” said Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO, Manpower Group. “We’re seeing the highest talent shortages in 16 years, giving workers at almost every level and in every sector the upper hand. Employers have no choice but to pay attention. The challenge for leaders will be to listen, adapt and think differently about how to approach flexibility, not just flexible working.”
ManpowerGroup partnered with Thrive to identify immediate actions that employers can take to support employee well-being. By adopting practices like entry interviews, creating a culture of compassionate directness and encouraging employees to practice microsteps, companies can create long-lasting cultural change.
“The disruptions of the past two years have forced us to consider what we really value and we have a once-in-generation opportunity to rethink the way we work and live,” said Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO, Thrive. “We were in the middle of a global epidemic of stress and burnout even before COVID-19. Then the pandemic hit, and employee well-being and resilience shot to the top of the agenda for companies all over the world. At Thrive, we work with companies who realise that their most important resource is their people. They’re seeing the direct connection between the long-term health of their bottom line and the health and well-being of their employees.”
Trust is important for a thriving workforce, according to the survey. Trust in colleagues was rated second only to fair pay and safe working conditions by workers (79%), while trust in leaders was rated highly by more than two-thirds (71%). Additionally, people want to work for companies that share their values and beliefs, with 70% seeking meaning in their daily work.
Touching upon this more, we asked three experts about the employee experience, trust and how the four-day work week could be adopted by organisations.
Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA of WorkJam
Companies prioritising employee well-being can only be a good thing.
Having a good work-life balance is important to most and is something that companies should value. Not only do your employees have work obligations they must fulfil, but also life obligations as well as personal interests. The UK trial of the four-day work week means that companies are starting to acknowledge this and are shifting towards a work-life balance.
However, businesses that cannot offer a four-day work week to their employees may be left behind in the race for talent. These companies must find ways to ensure productivity, employee retention, reduction of burnout and improved employee well-being without the four-day work week initiative.
The solution is offering other employee benefits such as greater flexibility, better training, as well as truly and openly putting a value on their staff – this is what makes the difference to employees.
At WorkJam, we believe that you need a digital frontline workplace in order to answer these challenges. These powerful tools can help employers improve education and employee mobility, and offer greater shift flexibility.
Benefits such as shift-bidding for frontline employees, which is a technology that streamlines scheduling processes while meeting all compliance regulations such as contract seniority criteria, allow employees the opportunity to make more money. This not only entices potential new hires and improves employee retention, but it’s a win/win for both organisations and their frontline employees.
As we see this shift in attitude towards a more flexible working experience, we also see employees wanting more out of their company. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated, as they should. However, for those companies in industries where the four-day work week isn’t possible, they must find ways of letting employees know they are important and listened to.
Communication with frontline employees here is essential and technology has a big role to play in this. Being able to receive feedback from employees and managers is of utmost importance to let your employees know they are heard.
Retention of staff may be difficult for those unable to offer the four-day work week, as employees may look to those who are cutting down the work week. However, companies should not underestimate the power of learning and development as a tool for employee retention. Training and gathering new skills is essential to accelerate within their current role or to carry with them in the future.
These benefits will be essential for companies that can’t offer a four-day work week but want to put their employee wellbeing first whilst improving employee retention.
Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i
The pandemic taught us many important lessons, not the least of which is that for a large percentage of the world’s labour force, non-traditional work arrangements can work quite successfully. We initially saw this when so many were sent, virtually overnight, to work from home (WFH). While WFH introduced numerous challenges, it also provided many with a level of flexibility they had never before enjoyed in their careers – especially in terms of work/life balance.
During this time, we saw non-traditional work weeks truly take hold where progressive, forward-thinking employers recognised that productivity and successful outcomes were not tied to the number of hours worked or when those hours were worked, but rather the quality of the hours worked. And that quality was closely tied to the employee experience (EX). The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) defines EX as relating to ‘the level of an employee’s commitment and connection to an organisation. High levels of engagement promote retention of talent, foster customer loyalty and improve organisational performance and stakeholder value.’
And according to Jacob Morgan, author of The Employee Experience Advantage, ‘In a world where money is no longer the primary motivating factor for employees, focusing on the employee experience is the most promising competitive advantage that organisations can create.’ This has certainly been borne out in what is now known as the ‘Great Resignation’ phenomenon, where employees are resigning in record numbers, even when they have yet to find alternate employment.
In addition to the four-day work week, I also see hybrid and full WFH models gaining a foothold. While the benefits for employees and employers are extensive, it is of course important to keep in mind that there are challenges that must be overcome as well. For instance, data security likely tops the list for most organisations. Over the past couple of years, many have learned the hard way that technologies like virtual private networks (VPNs) are not cut-out to support a WFH scenario. Instead, many are finding success with software-defined perimeters (SDP) which overcome the inherent vulnerabilities of VPNs and ensure fast, controlled and secure network and data access.
The bottom line is this, while each organisation must evaluate their own business model and whether a four-day (or other non-traditional) work week can be successfully applied, it appears to be an easy and affordable way to improve the employee experience (EX) and consequently take another important step towards retaining happy, committed employees that are dedicated to your company’s success.
Joe O’Connor, CEO, 4 Day Week Global
At the beginning of June 2022, 70 UK companies and over 3,300 workers began working a four-day week with no loss of pay in the biggest ever four-day week pilot to take place anywhere in the world so far. From a local chippy to large corporations, the range of participants is diverse and aptly demonstrates how our flexible model can be implemented in a variety of sectors right across the economy. The trial is due to run for six months and was organised by ourselves in 4 Day Week Global, alongside Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College.
The four-day week that we advocate for is not a rigid, ‘one size fits all’ approach and is based on the general principle of the 100:80:100 model – 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100% of the productivity. Some companies will choose the traditional 32-hour/four-day week, some may adjust rosters and shifts to achieve the same level of coverage and service throughout the workweek, and for some businesses, it might mean five shorter days.
This model is proven to deliver improved company productivity, efficiency and performance as well as greater employee wellbeing, engagement and work-life balance. Research from leading international academics suggest the four-day working week can truly be a triple-dividend policy: better for the economy, better for society and better for the environment.
The disruption to societal and workplace norms by the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the potential for very different models of work, for both workers and employers and reinforced the need to rethink old, established patterns. We believe that the future of work requires a shift away from a focus on time, as this is not an effective way to measure people’s contributions at work. Instead, we need to focus on measuring and rewarding collective outputs.
Almost all companies that move to a four-day week do three big things: radically shorten and reform meetings; use technology more thoughtfully and mindfully; and redesign the workday to build in distinct periods for focused work, meetings and social time. Studies show that the average worker loses two to three hours each day to useless meetings, poor technology implementations and just plain old distractions. So, the four-day week is actually already here; we just can’t see it because it’s buried underneath these outdated and inefficient practices.
It requires strong management, clever rostering and worker buy-in, but we do believe that some version of a shorter working week, based on the principle of 100:80:100, is achievable right across the economy, benefitting employers, workers, society and the environment.
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