It seems that obstacles are in no short supply following the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2020 and its long-lasting effects on the economy and the workplace.
Final thoughts
As many businesses across the UK have resumed trade under a ‘new-normal’, whether that involves reopening offices or working entirely from home, workers have had to take a long hard look at what it is they truly want from their employers. The pandemic shifted overseas data the focus away from jobs being predominantly seen as a means to make ends meet, with the introduction of remote working during the lockdowns making people reassess how they want to structure their working life going forward.
With the addition of the current cost of living and energy crises – set to continue for a good while at least – this has only fuelled the desire to expect more than the bare minimum from your workplace, as many are now having to foot additional living costs that weren’t there before.
To find out more about what workers across different generations want from their workplace today, we atconducted a survey of 1,000 UK office workers over the age of 18. We asked them about their preferred working style and the work perks and benefits that they value the most.
Preferential working styles
Firstly, we asked office workers which working style they preferred – whether they enjoyed being in the office or would rather stay at home.
A majority (31%) of those surveyed said that they preferred having the option to work in a hybrid style, with some days spent physically in the office and others at home.
In terms of generational differences,
hybrid working was the most user perspective focus on experience popular with Xennials (35%), Millennials (34%), and Generation X (31%). Surprisingly, just 27% of office workers aged between 18-24 preferred hybrid working.
Interestingly, the second most-popular working style was full-time in the office – potentially due to people wanting to socialise more with coworkers after the isolation of the lockdown period.
19% of the office workers surveyed preferred working in the office, with this style being most popular with the baby boomer generation (27%), with 23% of Gen Z also preferring this style of working.
Unsurprisingly, however, was still a popular choice, with 19% of the office workers in the survey saying they preferred working from home full-time.
Generationally, the majority of the respondents were Xennials (25%) and Millennials (21%).
On-site facilities
Finally, 13% of the respondents said that they preferred their workplace to offer a 4-day working week. This option was the most popular with Generation X (16%) and Gen Z (15%). In contrast, just 12% of Millennials and baby boomers selected this option, with only 10% of Xennials saying they preferred a 4-day week.
Looking at the regional data, Londoners favourited hybrid working the most (40%), on the other hand, East of England workers preferred working from the office the most (22%). When it comes to working from home, 30% of those in the East Midlands said this type of work style is most appealing to them. 4-day week attracted those in Wales the most, with 21% saying so.
Free help from employers
We asked the respondents what free help from their employer they would welcome the most, and what help they were currently receiving – if any. Times are hard for many right now, so many employees may be in need of extra assistance to tide them over, whether that’s discounts on shops or a free gym membership.
Over half (52%) of the bulgaria business directory respondents said that discounts that could be used on supermarket food shops, leisure activities, and other sources would be the most welcomed. Generationally, around half of respondents from each generation said that this assistance would be the most welcomed by them. We also asked if employers already offer such help, 26% of those surveyed confirmed they have access to discount schemes.
Methodology
Cashback schemes were another popular choice in the survey, with 31% of respondents selecting this option. Cashback schemes were the most popular with Xennials (37%), Generation X (34%), and Millennials (34%). With cashback schemes being the second most popular choice, it was interesting to see that only 9% of employees say they currently receive such help.
The energy crisis has seen fuel prices fluctuate in recent months, so it’s unsurprising that company cars were another popular form of assistance. 30% of the office workers surveyed selected this option as a form of free help that would be most welcomed by them. Of those that favoured this option, the majority were baby boomers (37%). However, of all respondents, only 7% said they have a company car.