With the current shortage, employers are asking themselves intensely what their workforce wants, or what they are looking to recruit. They want to know how to attract and retain them in their organization. A simple “surface X-ray” is no longer enough to understand the labor market. Here’s an “advanced imagery” of what workers are thinking, by bringing together the latest surveys about them.
1. Virtual versus hybrid interactions
First stop: the question of remote working. At the height of the pandemic, no one imagined ever returning to the office full-time… or at least, few did. However, the most recent portrait of the Ordre des CRHA shows that workers have regained a taste for socialization and “physical” meetings. And finally, the 100% face-to-face working model has made a strong comeback, with almost 40% support.
From a recruitment point of view, being able to meet people “face-to-face” is a strong attraction for candidates.
In preparation for their workers annual event, the organization surveyed jobseekers in its database to find out whether attending a job fair in person would give your job application an extra edge?
The result was unequivocal: 86% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
It’s a well-known fact that in our digital age and with the pandemic, the digitization of our society has greatly increased,” reads the organization’s press release. However, presenting yourself well in person and making a good impression when applying for a job doesn’t seem to be going out of fashion.”
2. Health before money
Over the past year, there has been a lot of talk about salary increases requested or granted to offset the effects of inflation. However, it is interesting to note that – according to a Blue Cross study – a significant proportion of employees are more concerned about obtaining group insurance coverage than a simple salary increase.
The study points out that 80% of employees are interested in a company’s group insurance plan before accepting a new position, and that nearly three-quarters (73%) of those with a group insurance plan would stay with their current employer even if they were offered more money elsewhere.”
Even more revealing, more than one in three employees (36%) say they’d rather have group insurance than an annual raise… of $40,000! Four out of ten employees would forego a $25,000 raise for group insurance, and finally, half (50%) would leave $10,000 on the table for such coverage.
3. Happiness before money
Back to the survey conducted by Career Event. Another question asked what was “the most important thing” for them at work. Respondents much preferred “a pleasant and stimulating work environment” (63%) to “a better salary” (37%).
It’s an interesting paradox to observe, because despite inflation resulting in higher costs for groceries, cars, gas and other consumer products, people seem to favor preserving their mental health above all else.”
Interesting… and reassuring!
