What Do Workers Think About the World of Work Right Now?

Are workers really quitting at an unprecedented rate? How many people would prioritize working from home over a pay rise? Is workplace burnout on the rise?

These are just some of the many questions that have come to the fore as we emerge from the pandemic. As the world of work continues to shapeshift, we must not lose touch with those impacted most: workers. 

Our Global Workforce of the Future Report 2022 gathers data from 34,200 workers in 25 countries to give an insight into how this turbulent time is impacting everyone

The Great Re-Evaluation

A record number of workers quit their jobs in 2021. In November of that year, a staggering 4.5 million people quit their jobs in the US alone – more than 1% of the country's entire population. A change of this magnitude in such a short space of time has unsurprisingly had a huge knock-on effect.

In many industries, this rapid wave of mid-pandemic resignations created – for the first time in a very long time – a severe talent scarcity. This changed the hiring landscape completely. Employers are having to offer higher salaries, flexible working and more benefits to try and attract talent – all of which resulted in even more people leaving their jobs to make the most of these attractive new offers.

How has it been perceived by workers?

With all this talk of quitting, the exit sign is brightly lit in the minds of many workers. Three in ten workers plan to quit their job within the next 12 months, with 45% of them actively applying for new roles. Out of the areas surveyed, workers in Switzerland, Eastern Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EEMENA) and Australia top the list of those most likely to leave.

With such high numbers leaving their jobs, we are also seeing the rise of the quitfluencer - a worker who leaves their job and, by doing so, inspires their colleagues to do the same. According to the report, 70% of workers who see colleagues quit consider quitting themselves. This domino effect leads to 50% of workers actually following through. Yet more clear evidence as to why staff retention is so crucial.

Of course, most workers aren’t leaving just because their colleagues are. There are numerous underlying factors emboldening people to make a change. Chief among them is the prospect of a better salary – this motivated almost half of those wanting a change of role. However, this drops to around 37% when it comes to managers.

In the beginning of 2020, many people were worried about their livelihoods. As the immediate shock of the pandemic started to fade, we saw a cascade of people wanting a change. In fact, 61% of desk-based workers are confident they could now find a new role in less than six months, and desk workers currently consider their jobs to be 11% more secure than in 2021. But these headline statistics do not apply to everyone. Those not working desk jobs feel considerably less secure in their role. Geographical location can have an impact too: workers in Italy, Japan, France and Spain are the least confident about the job markets in their countries.

What about those who are staying?

The swathes of people quitting their jobs are understandably making headlines – but what about the rest? The majority of people are continuing with their jobs as usual, so just as the report demonstrates why people are leaving, it also gives us an insight into the minds of those who aren’t.

It may be heartening to hear that the most important factor for workers staying in their roles is not salary, but engagement. Our research reveals that what makes people want to stay in their job is how happy they are, how stable they are at work and at home, their colleagues and the flexibility they are given.

When a worker is engaged with what they do and where they do it, salary is pushed down to the 6th most important factor. Interestingly, this is markedly different from people’s motivations for leaving a job.

Are workers satisfied?

On the whole, yes. 69% are compared to 67% in 2021. This differs geographically, with the most satisfied workers found in China, Brazil and Turkey and the least satisfied workforces found in Japan, France, Greece and Italy.

Despite an overall uptick in general satisfaction levels, there are some areas that, according to workers, need improvement. These include: workload, ability to maintain physical and mental wellbeing, salary, career progression and upskilling. In fact, this notion of improvement is important, as 70% of workers believe that employers are responsible for improving work conditions.

Money talks

Due to the myriad forces exerting themselves on the world of work, salaries have generally been going up. Half of workers globally received a pay rise in the last two years, with managers benefitting disproportionately in this regard. Salaries in the US and China improved the most, whereas western Europe and Japan saw the most stagnation – which perhaps explains (at least in part) the lower levels of satisfaction that workers from these countries have.

Despite pay rises being fairly widespread over the last two years, 60% of workers in non-managerial roles still feel they are being underpaid. A potential explanation for this is the growing inflation being experienced in many countries around the world, rendering many pay rises just a means of keeping parity rather than an improvement of take home income. This is a concern for 60% of workers worldwide, in particular younger generations. Concerns have actually become so severe that workers are acting on it, with 4 in 10 desk workers admitting to working cash-in-hand to supplement their income.

The flexible working revolution

Flexible working was on the rise even before the pandemic, however it is safe to say that the previous few years have caused a huge change in how it is perceived. With many workers growing accustomed to the improved work-life balance that it can afford, it is perhaps unsurprising that many do not want to give that up. According to our report, a third of desk-based workers would now quit their jobs in order to gain more flexibility over how they work – making it the second most common reason for leaving a role.

The pandemic clearly forced a rethink on where we work, but what about how long we work for? The majority (71%) of desk-workers believe their mental and physical well being would improve if they were to work fewer hours (particularly managers and younger generations), with 70% going as far as saying they could be just as productive.

Despite this, the report displays a worrying disparity between managers and employers in the willingness to utilize these flexible options when offered. 67% of managers take advantage of a four-day work week policy, as opposed to just 19% of non-managers. This raises some interesting questions as to why employees feel unable to utilize this flexibility.

Unsurprisingly much of the increased prominence on flexibility does not translate to non-desk workers. Just over half (58%) believe that shorter hours would improve their wellbeing. What the results also show is that many non-desk workers (70%) simply cannot afford to prioritize wellbeing over things like salary, with flexibility coming in as the fifth most common reason for quitting.

The land of opportunity

It's been a difficult time for many businesses over the last few years, with many forced to make cuts and go through periods of consolidation as opposed to growth. Whilst this was needed to survive in some cases, one consequence was a reduction in opportunity for workers – many of whom had little prospect of promotion or new projects in this period. The report demonstrates that the opportunity to progress and diversify in a career is vital, with 20% of workers considering it the main reason they would leave a job.

Whilst the lack of opportunities can perhaps be excused by the pandemic, the report does reveal a number of troubling shortcomings. The most notable of these are investment in skills and conversations about careers. In fact, almost a quarter of workers surveyed said they had never had discussions about career progression in their current roles. Statistics show that employers not doing so are missing out, as those that have had regular career conversations were ultimately more likely to apply for internal opportunities – improving that all-elusive employee retention.

Mental health and wellbeing

One of the most important developments within the world of work in recent years has been the increased focus on employee mental health and wellbeing. That being said, from the perspective of workers there is still much to be done.

Overall, 25% of workers say that their mental health has deteriorated over the last year. This has resulted in 40% of workers suffering from burnout, with almost one in four people taking a career break for this exact reason. Concerns have become so widespread that one in two workers are now worried about the potential of burnout. 

As with career progression, the general consensus from workers is that employers can do more. Whilst wellbeing programs are appreciated, workers want tangible changes in company culture that can make a difference. Considering almost 20% of workers don’t take a sick day when feeling mentally unwell or burnt out, there is plenty to do to change the stigma and create a healthy environment for everyone.

What next?

The pandemic has had a vast impact on the world of work. However, the data from the Global Workforce of the Future report suggests that rather than creating new issues, it has mainly amplified existing challenges. People have long been hoping for more flexible work opportunities and a more open approach to mental health in the workplace, for example. It just took the pandemic to really put them under the spotlight.

Regardless of whether they are new or old concerns, the report demonstrates just how important these issues are to workers. It's never been a better time for organizations to focus on bolstering company culture and creating a flexible and progressive working environment in which people can thrive.