Work-life balance has become a priority for employees as well as employers today. Employees refuse to stick around if they see no career growth or if the workplace culture is not to their liking. Employees today value job satisfaction, and non-financial benefits are an important part of this satisfaction. That does not mean financial benefits do not count, but non-monetary perks such as flexibility, health insurance, and learning opportunities are greatly valued by the new generation of employees.
A research by Adecco covering 8,997professionals across nine countries, including India, reveals that 35 per cent employers offer health insurance as a non-financial benefit, followed by flexible working (26 per cent). Other than these popular perks, 12 per cent employers offer incentive schemes, eight per cent offer learning & development programmes and eight per cent offer global career opportunities. This is a clear reflection of a shift towards holistic employee well-being says the report.
With 25 per cent of employees prioritizing balance, companies need to emphasise flexible work arrangements and well-being initiatives. They need to invest more on their employees’ career growth and professional development, as 23 per cent of employees seek these when they join an employer. That means, employers need to offer upskilling programmes to their employees.
About 14 per cent of employees give preference to the workplace culture and employer brand. They value a healthy work environment. Therefore, employers need to focus on this area too. About 16 per cent of employees are drawn towards a good employer reputation.
Employers looking to draw ace talent and retain their employees need to focus on these aspects.
The report also reveals that across the APAC region, digitisation and flexible working are the most influential megatrends. This isn’t surprising given the paradigm shift toward digital workplaces and hybrid work models.
Thailand leads in terms of digitisation at 73 per cent, followed by India at 64 per cent, Vietnam also at 64 per cent, and Taiwan at 54 per cent. Thailand leads in terms of adoption of flexible working too, at 73 per cent, followed by India at 61 per cent, Hong Kong at 58 per cent and Vietnam at 58 per cent. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is highly significant in tech-forward nations such as Singapore (60 per cent), Taiwan(49 per cent), and India (42 per cent). New Zealand shows moderate adoption of digitisation (at 49 per cent) and flexible working (at 51 per cent) reflecting a more balanced approach.
