Employees Want Job Stability, Opportunity for Meaningful Work
New research from Paychex Inc. explores the challenge of employee retention and the key drivers motivating employees when making choices about their career paths. The survey of more than 600 U.S. workers provides insight employers can use when developing strategies for increasing retention. The study was conducted in partnership with Future Workplace.
When asked about factors (other than compensation and benefits) that contribute to their decisions to stay in with their company, 30% of respondents indicated that perceived job stability is their most important motivator and 60% ranked it in their top three. Feeling that the work was meaningful (45%) and having a passion for their field (33%) were the second- and third-most-popular answers, respectively. Reasons related to employers' brands (19%), corporate culture (19%), and products (13%) are the least important to employees, despite many companies' focus on these elements in their recruiting and retention efforts.
While job stability and performing meaningful work ranked among the top two reasons respondents stayed at their companies, Baby Boomers (32%), Gen X (35%), and Millennials (31%) were significantly more likely to cite job stability as the most important reason than Gen Z (14%). Instead, Gen Z (18%) prioritizes meaningful work over job stability.
In addition, Baby Boomers (41%) said that passion for their field and industry are among the most important reasons to work at their company. Gen X (30%) focused on close relationships with coworkers, and Millennials (39%) cited opportunities for career growth. Gen Z (27%) said company growth and success were especially important to them.
When asked what would make employees more likely to stay in their roles, respondents noted a desire for more flexible scheduling. Over one-third (35%) of all respondents ranked flexibility in work hours and schedule as the number one reason they'd be more likely to stay at their organization long-term, and 70% ranked it among their top three. It was significantly more likely for Baby Boomers (46%) to say that flexibility would make them more likely to stay at their organizations long-term than Gen X (38%), Millennials (31%), and Gen Z (24%).
Opportunities for career advancement, skills development, and internal job mobility, and increased commitment to work/life balance ranked second and third overall with 50% of employees putting each in their top three most-desired perks.
Health insurance (64%) and retirement plans (62%) are the top two benefits shown to keep employees long-term. However, the research shows that the importance of mental health benefits is on the rise among younger generations. Gen Z (23%) is significantly more likely to say that mental health benefits would make them more likely to stay at their organization long-term than Millennials (14%), Gen X (5%), or Baby Boomers (3%).
Financial wellness benefits (41%), such as tuition reimbursement, professional development stipends, student loan repayment, and child-care support, ranked third among benefits most important for employee retention.
Looking for quick answers on restoration, remediation and cleaning topics?
Try Ask R&R, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask R&R →
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
