What employees really want?

what employees really want

As an employer you are required to have a number of different roles- the hardest one is being a mind reader. In order to stay competitive in the business, employers have to anticipate what the employees really want. Employers are getting very creative in the way they recruit and retain their most talented employees.

Recently, Business Insider, teamed up with PayScale to find dream- job companies where a lot of importance is given to employee satisfaction. Winning a spot on the list means that the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating an ideal work place for employees. Google is the Number 1 place to work for the seventh time in 10 years. Besides a more than attractive salary Google employees get enhanced health care coverage, breast- cancer screenings, unlimited snacks, free personal fitness classes, haircuts, spa trucks and laundry rooms- the list is endless. Giant companies such as Amazon recently announce their plan to test a 30 hour workweek. On the other hand Netflix began offering one year parental leave to salaries as well as hourly employees.

The job market has been extremely competitive in the past few years, some employers simply cannot offer their employees the most important thing to them: a massive salary. So employers started offering competitive packages and plenty of other initiatives.  These are the top factors that attract new employees and keep the best ones – keep in mind that it is not always about the money:

  • Good salary: Study after study reveal that the most important factor to employees about a job is the salary. Everyone wants to be paid what they are worth, but this is not always the case. Employees that are able to provide an attractive salary for their employees should just continue doing so.
  • Family- friendly measures: A family friendly employer recognises the family responsibilities of employees  and accept that these can have an impact on the employee working life. A family friendly organisation tries to make the life of employees better. Employees should make sure they are enabling them employers to have rewarding time and fulfilling lives outside work.
  • Opportunity to advance and be heard out: In a recent study by Gallup, 87% of participants said the ability to develop is important in any job. When employees are happy with the opportunities presented to them, they are highly likely to remain with an organisation.
  • Comprehensive health insurance: Recent research from Glassdoor found that a good health insurance is one of the top five benefits ranked by employees. Providing employees with fantastic health insurance is a good investment worth making.

If you are an employer, I suggest you do your research and take note of the benefits being offered by companies such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Airbnb. Above all, employees want to work in an environment where they can feel appreciated, be heard, be treated fairly and be coached.