Increasingly, we’re learning that employers don’t know as much about what their employees want as they think they do. Among the results of a new survey on this topic:
- While 66% of executives believe they’re being “very transparent” about post-pandemic policies, only 42% of employees agree. At the same time, 81% of execs say their company’s leadership is “transparent about sharing new developments that affect the company,” but only 58% of employees think that’s true.
- Executives are nearly three times more likely than non-execs to want employees to return the office full-time.
- The desire for flexible work policies is strongest among employees of color. The study shows promising but fragile improvement in employee experience scores for Black workers.
- 76% of workers want flexibility in where they work, and 93% want flexibility in when they work.
- Job satisfaction among executives is 62% higher than for non-execs.
With over half of workers saying they’re open to looking for a new job in the next year, companies that dismiss employee desires for flexible work schedules risk losing good people. To stay competitive, the survey authors suggest, employers should focus on embracing flexibility, training on and rewarding inclusion, and building connections through transparency.
