Let down by our jobs we're ready to take control of our lives
New research says workers don't want to lose their flexible working
I was delighted to be addressing the CIPD Annual Conference today. For my keynote I collaborated with Early Studies, a creative research studio, on some brand new research into the attitudes of working people.
Key findings:
There is growing pessimism about what work will fulfil for workers: while 58% of under 30 year olds believe that work will provide them with long-term financial security, a third of under 30 year olds don’t believe that.
Young people expect job security to decline in the future.
So what are workers looking for from their jobs? The number 1 thing that workers value is flexible working - it is especially strong amongst women but is the strongest for everyone.
We asked our panel what is the thing that employers misunderstand about your needs? The importance of worklife balance and flexibility were the top two answers.
Even though work has historically been a source of social connection and friendship this is at very low levels currently. Only 32% of all adults see work as providing that connection and friendship, but they predict it will be substantially stronger where they work in the future.
When we asked workers the non-negotiables when it comes to their jobs ‘work life balance’ comes top now, whereas they see salary overtaking it in the future.
How do your colleagues generally feel about the work they do? The standout winner was that workers feel overwhelmed with their workload. Men felt that their work was repetitive and mundane.
We asked people what would make them quit their jobs, the number 1 reason was a toxic work environment.
For free access to all of the research check it out here: www.makeworkbetter.study
For more details on how we conducted the research you can read more here.
The conclusion for leaders has to be to tread carefully when it comes to changing our flexibility - it’s the biggest thing in our workers’ lives right now.
Do your starter salaries measure up? A lot of firms tell me their starter salaries with a sense of pride, oblivious to what these salaries actually afford. The National Minimum Wage rises in April to £23,873 per annum
A few years ago I launched The Bad Boss Helpline, but this guy who receives complaints from workers and goes and addresses those responsible has brought a good deal more shock factor to it - it’s uncomfortable watching at times
How will employees feel about this week’s election? It’s worth revisiting my conversation about trust with Mark McGinn from Edelman. Edelman found that many us feel like we can’t impact government or society but “increasingly our company is the biggest thing that we believe we can have an impact on”. For all the fearfulness that DEI initiatives were being bullied away by spiky politics, don’t be surprised if employees expect work to signal that it is a safe place in the world.
How Intel fixed work and then threw it away
Brigid Schulte says we're Over Work
Brigid Schulte is a journalist and writer who brings a reporter's ear for stories to her exploration of modern work.
Over the course of a decade Schulte has talked to people about the impact their jobs has on their lives - and has explored any hope that we might be able to make this better.
Her new book, Over Work and paints a hopeful image of how we might fix the toxic elements of our jobs.
One of the examples is about Intel, who in 2013 experimented with a new initiative styled Freelance Nation to bring some of the upsides of gig work to a professional knowledge work environment. It proved hugely successful and yet they decided to scrap it.
Thanks for sharing Bruce. Can I ask what statistical methods were used to compensate for the inherent biases in social circle surveying? I couldn’t see it in the methodology document.