New research offers insights into employees’ thoughts on workplace trends.
According to new research from Paychex, workers are concerned about issues such as pay equity, corporate social responsibility, and planning for their future.
Among the findings from a survey of 757 full-time U.S. employees:
· There was little consensus on what employees see as the most complicated aspect of making annual benefit elections: 29% says it’s keeping up with plan changes, for 28% it’s trying to predict personal and family needs, and another 28% said it’s evaluating all of the providers and plan options.
· More than half of respondents (51%) said they are confident in their retirement savings, but 25% of those said that their future comfort level will depend on the what happens with Social Security. Not surprisingly, older workers (those between age 50 and 65) are the most confident about their retirement savings.
· Nearly half of respondents of both genders (48%) said that—at least once in their career–they have expressed verbal or written concern that their current pay rate was not equitable to a colleague with similar roles and responsibilities. Nonetheless, nearly three-quarters of both men and women said they believe that their employer is auditing pay for gender equity.
· Nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents said they expect employers to provide a high level of self-service that enables them to handle various HR tasks (such as updating contact information and completing tax forms). A vast majority (85%) said that self-service portals should provide a simple, intuitive user experience.
· Nearly one-third of respondents (27%) said that they have “ghosted,” that is, left a job or didn’t report for a new job without notice. The numbers were higher for younger employees, and only 7% of workers aged 50-65 said they have ever ghosted from a job.
· Survey results suggested that having a socially responsible employer is important for workers of all ages. A vast majority of respondents said that they care about their employer’s efforts to have positive impact on things such as the environment and the well-being of the community or region.
“While employers can implement changes from the top, employees ultimately define what the American workplace looks like,” said Maureen Lally, Paychex vice president of marketing, about the importance of the survey results. She added that employees’ “habits, preferences, and behaviors are what shape company culture.”
