Recently, CNBC and Catalyst released a report, “The Great Work/Life Divide: How employee desire for flexibility and employer concern is driving the future of work”. The key results of this report continue the theme we have been discussing in recent months.
The report reveals that half of working Americans want to change careers for two key reasons: (1) the perception that employers haven’t cared about their issues during the pandemic, and (2) the need for flexibility, whether it is location, when they work or how they work.
Working parents are more likely to want to make changes, particularly if they perceive their employers haven’t been supportive of their need for flexibility.
The employees with one foot out the door have been hearing a contrasting view from their employers, which is their preference for employees to return to the office. Many employers perceive that employees demonstrate more innovation and work harder if they are in the office.
This dichotomy is at the core of a major structural shift. This one centers around the future of the conventional 9 to 5 office world.
Employers need to pay attention to what is going on around them in the workplace. What is happening elsewhere can have an impact on your company.
The accounting firm PwC recently announced that its employees can work from home in perpetuity. Their decision was especially interesting because it is among the first large traditional companies to make this decision.
As I’ve previously shared, these employment issues aren’t going away. Since first reported in May, the resignation rate is averaging around 4 million people per month.
Leaders need to evaluate and determine the best course of action for their companies. “Going to the office” is by no means an archaic concept; instead, it’s one that needs to be reimagined and updated. How will you be part of this reimagination?
Header image by Mikhail Nilov of Pexels.
