Businesswoman relaxing outdoor
While American workers across sectors are striking for better pay and benefits, employees around the globe are looking to their employers for help managing their health and wellness. New research suggests that how well employers do in this domain can have a big impact on their ability to attract and retain talent.
In a new survey released recently from Mindspace, a flexible workspace provider, nine out of ten employees said that they consider an employer’s well-being offerings in their decision to accept a job.
Among the benefits employees most want are support for physical health, such as access to a gym (40%), swimming facility (27%), and yoga (25%). One-fifth also said they would appreciate healthy eating options at work.
Beyond these tangible physical health perks, a majority of employees (82%) said that they expect their employer to support their work-life balance.
Perhaps most critically, 35% said that flexible work options would improve their well-being. Another 32% said that a shorter work week would make the difference. Specifically, the survey showed that 43% of workers feel that flexible hours would have the biggest impact on employee well-being. Other top influencers of well-being include extra vacation days (33%), free healthy meals (24%), flexible work location (21%), and better health insurance benefits (16%).
But not everyone wants as much flexibility or the type of flexibility as employers may think, according to recent Gallup analysis. In a Gallup survey, chief human resources officers (CHROs) said they believe that only 24% of white-collar workers and 54% of production or front-line staff prefer a 9-to-5 schedule compared to a setup where work and life are more blended throughout the day. In reality, 45% of white-collar and 62% of production/front-line employees said that they prefer 9-to-5 work. For many employees, a more rigid work structure may actually help create work-life boundaries.
Whatever an employee’s preference, not getting it can have a negative impact. Gallup says that workers who don’t get to work in their preferred approach are less likely to feel respected or engaged and more likely to be burned out and looking for new opportunities.
Those negative effects came through loud and clear in the Mindspace survey. The results suggest that many employees are not getting the support for their well-being that they seek.
One-quarter said they experience negative well-being all or most of the time at work and another 44% said they sometimes struggle.
Approximately four in ten workers report feeling frustrated (42%), exhausted (39%), or demotivated (38%). Perhaps even more serious, 28% said they feel anxious, 26% said they feel burned out or moody, and 19% reported feeling depressed.
For half of workers surveyed, these negative feelings affect their motivation (50%) or productivity (48%). One-quarter said negative feelings affect their desire to stay at the company, demonstrating a connection between employee well-being and retention.
Workers blame features of the work environment for these negative feelings. Specifically, 39% cite workload as the cause of their bad experiences at work, while 24% each said lack of recognition and poor management is the main reason for their negative well-being. Employees also point to lack of sleep (29%) and poor work-life balance (24%) as reasons for poor well-being.
Employers’ push to have employees return to physical offices may conflict with employees’ desire for flexibility, but being in the office does offer benefits, too. While working from home, employees reported that they most missed wellness facilities and activities (36%) as well as the social community at work (30%).
The survey included responses from 2,000 employees ages 21 to 59 who are working in person or in hybrid arrangements. The survey spanned seven countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Israel.
Mindspace’s findings are consistent with other research with workers across sectors, including healthcare. Surveys of nurses, for example, have shown that many have quit their jobs due to burnout and seek out more flexible work options due to burnout. Even doctors around the world are burned out, according to research from the Commonwealth Fund.
Companies that want to bring people back to more regular, in-person work should consider their approach to wellness, according to Dan Zakai, CEO and co-founder of Mindspace.
In a statement, Zakai said: “Companies that believe in returning to the office and want to retain their top talent should be forward-thinking and must recognize that built-in wellness amenities are not a luxury but a strategic necessity to promote well-being, to boost retention, and to drive organizational success.”