HR professionals are the most demanding in their expectations of employers, according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index, which is based on the results of a survey of 37,216 LinkedIn members from December 4, 2021 to March 11, 2022.
The people in charge of leading transformation of workplace culture, improving employee engagement, and crafting compensation and benefits packages want only the best in their careers, too. HR leaders know that employees have the leverage, and they would like to take full advantage of it. Here is what they want from their employer:
Bigger Compensation and Benefits Packages
LinkedIn asked HR professionals to share information about their reasons for changing employers. Seventy-seven percent of the HR respondents said they left for better compensation and benefits, compared to 69% of U.S. workers.
Higher pay is a driving force in the Great Resignation era, which has been characterized by an historic labor shortage. Frankly, before inflation skyrocketed, many HR leaders predicted big pay raises for U.S. workers. Obviously, those rolling out such raises would expect the same for themselves.
A Good Match with Their Values
Employee activism is on the rise, especially in the wake of increased interest in social justice and sustainability that percolated during the pandemic. Employees at places like Disney, in fact, have used their voices to force leadership to take a stand against political policies with which they don’t agree.
People are looking for employers who resonate with them by matching their values and relevantly using their platform. Indeed, 62% of HR professionals, compared to 53% of U.S. workers, said they were seeking better alignment with their interests and values when choosing a new employer.
Room to Grow
Just about all employees are looking to make themselves future ready. More than ever, they are insisting that employers take a vested interest in their career development and growth. At the same time, the pandemic catapulted CHROs into the C-suite because their skills were a necessity for surviving and achieving during the crisis.
That’s why no one should be surprised to learn that 67% of HR professionals who responded to LinkedIn said they sought more opportunities to move up or increase their responsibilities when taking a new job. Only 50% of U.S. workers said the same.
Assurance of Flexibility
Flexibility became the norm during the pandemic, and employees are not willing to give it up. They want to be able to work when and where they want. More than 40% of HR professionals, compared to 28% of U.S. workers, say they want to change employers to have more flexibility in working hours. Compared to 25% of U.S. workers, 40% of HR professionals want flexibility in location.
Many companies are still figuring out how to handle remote, in-office, or hybrid workers. They are making sense of staggered schedules or balancing even more time zones because people relocated. This desire for flexibility raises questions about the possibility of four-day workweeks and digital nomad visas.
More importantly, this need for flexibility is reflective of the employee leverage and the recognition that people have personal lives outside of work. There is a shift among workers. They want to move from "living to work" to "working to live."
No one is more aware of this phenomenon than HR professionals. They have shouldered the burdens of the pandemic at the workplace. Organizations turned to HR to transition swiftly from in-office to remote work, find mental health and wellness help for the team, and keep employees engaged while completing all their usual tasks. When leaders gain this kind of responsibility, they can see their own value and begin to ask for more. Obviously, those HR leaders at the forefront of championing employees want the same benefits and recognition themselves.
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