Remember the “good ole days” of the candidate-driven market, where jobseekers made all the choices in who they worked for and it was up to employers to offer the best perks and benefits to lure these candidates in? It’s hard to imagine that this was only a few months ago and we’re now living in the “new normal” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now that things have drastically changed, employers will have to reevaluate their perks and benefits packages to make sure they’re offering what candidates actually want. And according to new survey findings, these “wants” aren’t all that different from the pre-COVID era.
What Do Jobseekers Want?
According to a new “Work Different” survey from DailyPay, a majority of Americans believe that companies with diversity in its leadership and workforce are more desired places to work and better equipped to relate to its customers.
The poll also shows that the majority of jobseekers prefer a company that offers the ability to work remotely and that those who do work remotely are more effective and work longer hours.
Regarding diversity, the key takeaways from the survey indicate the majority of Americans feel that for companies, championing diversity is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for business.
- 60% say diversity in company leadership is important when deciding on where to apply for a job
- 65% say diversity in the overall staff makes a company better-positioned to relate to customers
- 63% say having female leaders in a company good for business
- 59% say having a diverse workforce good for business
Regarding remote work, the majority of those polled would work out of the office if they had the opportunity and seek jobs who do offer it. For those who do work remotely, the majority work longer hours and claim to be more effective.
- 84% who could work remotely would if given the chance
- 60% say they work more hours from home with 33% of those saying they work 8 or hours more per week remotely (or over 400 hours a year)
- 56% say allowing employees to work remotely makes a company more attractive when applying for a job compared to 17% who say it’s less attractive.
- 48% say they are more effective when working remotely compared to 14% who claim they are less effective
“As companies look to attract top talent, they will work different to highlight their commitment to support these issues,” says Jason Lee, CEO of DailyPay—in a press release. “As employees are starting to demand more from their employers, companies need to take the opportunity to do it different this time—to staff different, to interact with customers different, and to pay different.”