In a sample of over 30,000 workers worldwide, ADP’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View has explored employees’ attitudes towards the current world of work and what they expect and hope for from the workplace of the future. Given the turbulent past couple of years and amidst the talk of The Great Resignation, one surprising discovery is that nine in ten workers reported being satisfied with their current employment, with APAC workers being the most upbeat (91%).
However, when it comes to pay and benefits, APAC employees were the most willing to ask their employers for a raise (four in five) if they felt like they deserved it. One of the reasons that may be behind this is the number of extra unpaid hours of work that many of them are doing. On average, workers in APAC are putting in an additional 8.9 hours of overtime each week. European workers on the other hand are bucking the trend and are working fewer unpaid overtime hours each week.
The research also examined workers’ mental health and found that 67% of employees across the globe say that they experience stress at work at least once a week which is a 5% increase from pre-pandemic. The key causes of stress were also reported with increased responsibility coming at the top followed by the length of the working day, problems with technology and concerns over job security.
Despite the high levels of satisfaction with their current employers, two-thirds of the global workforce have already or would consider looking for another job if their employer insisted that they return to the workplace full-time. This sentiment was strongest amongst North American workers and those between the ages of 18-24. Despite these intentions, employees would be prepared to make compromises if their employer could offer flexibility in terms of working location.
Whilst this is welcome news, employers may need to carefully re-balance their efforts to ensure that those who are making the journey to work every day feel just as valued and nurtured as those working in their own homes. That might be higher pay, greater flexibility, better support or providing new challenges: the list of what it could take to keep workers engaged and fulfilled is long and varied.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
