What do workers want? Flexibility and stability top the list

If you’re still wondering if job flexibility makes a difference, you have your answer: about half of job seekers (45%) wouldn’t accept a job that didn’t offer accommodating hours, according to a new report.  

The 2023 Workmonitor report from Randstad also shows that about half of workers (48%) said they’d quit a job if it “prevented them from enjoying their life.” These findings and more are included in the research firm’s report, which paints a picture of worker priorities in markets across the North and South Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia: Employees want stability in their career overall, but flexibility in their day-to-day lives. 

The rising cost of living has notably influenced the way people approach work. Across the globe, about 1 in 4 workers are seeking more hours to help with their rising living expenses. A similar number of workers worldwide are shouldering a second job — or are seeking one — to address their increased cost of living. Notably, 32% of workers in Eastern Europe and 34% of Latin Americans talent said they’re working or plan to work a side hustle.  

Likewise, employees are worried about the impact of economic instability on their job security. “A possible global recession is weighing on the minds of people around the world, and this may have repercussions on employers,” researchers said, noting the increased appetite for work. 

At the same time, employees say they would be inclined to leave a job if it prevented them from enjoying life. Diving further into Randstad’s findings, it appears that work-life imbalance will come back to bite employers in the end. “Employee engagement is also impacted as dissatisfaction with work has led to 31% having ‘quiet quit,’ a recent phenomenon in which workers perform only the bare minimum in their jobs,” researchers said. Notably, millennials and Gen Zers were most likely to report quitting and the inclination to quit a job that prevented them from enjoying life. 

An integral part of life enjoyment, recruiters and people operations professionals are finding, is flexibility. Accommodating hours are a priority for talent globally, with workers in Latin America and Southern Europe expressing particular interest. More than when they work, people want flexibility in where they work. Again, workers in Latin America and Southern Europe expressed the greatest interest in geographic flexibility. These markets were also more likely to report more rigidity in job hours and working location.