Employee benefits and flexible working ‘key’ as vacancies hit all-time high

More than half (54%) of workers aged 18-34 said they’d likely quit if their company stopped offering remote or hybrid working, with 58% feeling more productive now than pre-pandemic.

New research from employee benefits provider Unum suggests that 1 in 5 employees (21%) feel bosses failed to support their mental health during the pandemic.

The survey also reveals that 23% have left their jobs, or plan to, as a result of their employer not offering high-quality employee benefits or support

Vacancies are currently at an all-time high, but when employees were asked why they remained in the same role as before the pandemic, over half (55%) cited that their employer simply handled the pandemic well.

The increased shift towards flexible working since the start of the pandemic seems set to stay if companies are to attract and retain future talent, with the research finding that 58% of workers aged 18-34 feel more productive now than before the pandemic.

More than half (54%) of the same age group said they would quit their jobs, or plan to, if their company removed the option for remote or hybrid working.

More than 1 in 5 (21%) were happy with the flexible working approach their employer offered and 19% felt their company culture had changed for the better since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mark Till, CEO of Unum UK, said:

While salary still factors into decision-making over potential job moves, our research proves just how much value employees place on the quality of benefits and wellbeing support being provided. You just can’t get away with having one but not the other.

“The workforce, in particular younger employees, belonging to this new hybrid world have made job expectations crystal clear.

“A combination of agile benefits, mental and physical support and a sense of autonomy and trust is the only way businesses will keep their staff loyal, happy, engaged and successful in the long run.”

294,000 people in the UK left their jobs to move to another one after resigning between April – June 2021 — the highest number since 2018.