Rethinking what we need from work

Employees are not living to work — they’re working to live.

Our results show that after financial concerns driven by the current economic climate, employees are most concerned with finding a greater balance between work and life.

Where does that leave employers?

Organisations certainly can’t return to pre-pandemic mindsets. Instead, employers need to embrace a new contract with employees: the lifestyle contract, where people can find sustainable healthy experiences at work. Retention is an urgent problem for companies — and it has a strong business case. Among other things, focusing on employee retention can save an organisation from productivity losses, reduce costs to hire and ensure critical knowledge management.

The lifestyle contract includes five key elements:

• Financial security: Employees need to feel confident that they can pay their bills and save for the future.
• Physical and emotional health: Employees need to have a healthy work-life balance and feel supported by their organization.
• Meaningful work: Employees need to feel like their work is making a difference and that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.
• Career development: Employees need to have opportunities to learn and grow in their careers.
• Empathy and support: Employees need to feel like their organization cares about them and is there to support them when they need it.

To know more, download the full report now!