Employees’ workplace demands

By Paul Arkwright
on 30 August 2022
in HR News, Public, Workspaces

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Research, undertaken by Lensa, reveals what employees are demanding from their workspace in 2022. The research looked at global and US search trends to investigate what employees are really looking for from their employers in 2022.

Top 10 employee demands (in the last 5 years)

Rank	Benefit	YoY Change in Searches
1	menopause leave	1300%
2	hybrid working	820%
3	4 day work week	809%
4	signing on bonus	124%
5	pet friendly office	86%
6	hybrid role	83%
7	subsidised gym membership	53%
8	dog friendly office	51%
9	paid sick leave	50%
10	paternity leave	50%

Menopause Leave saw 1,300% Year on Year increase. A recent poll found that 18% of women currently experiencing menopause or premenopausal symptoms were looking to leave their jobs because of these symptoms, and three-quarters felt they were unable to discuss the issue with their colleagues. Importantly 63% noted their organization had no policy in place for menopause leave.

Hybrid Working saw a 820% year on year increase. Hybrid working is when employees work both at home and in the office, and can often choose where they work on any given day. Some employers may ask employees to come in on certain days, or to spend a minimum amount of time in the office. Hybrid working allows employees to enjoy some of the benefits of remote working, such as a reduction in commuting and greater flexibility.

Four Day Work Week saw a 809% year on year increase. The four day work week is a relatively modern concept introduced largely because of recent advancements in technology. The four day work week is, however, yet to see widespread adoption.

Top 10 global employee demands

Rank	Benefit	Annal Google Searches
1	Remote working	1,495,000
2	Smart office	505,800
3	4 day work week	500,900
4	Employee assistance programmes	385,200
5	Career development	349,200
6	Hybrid working	285,800
7	Training programmes	276,200
8	Signing on bonus	268,800
9	Flexible working	209,700
10	Employee resource groups	172,800

Remote working was the most searched employee benefit with a global search volume of 1,495,000. Employees value flexibility when it comes to work, and Lensa has reported studies that show 80% of employees working full time now expect to work from home at least three times each week, and one in two won’t return to jobs that don’t offer remote or hybrid work.

Smart offices were the second most search for employee benefit with 505,800 searches. The offices aim to improve the overall office space using the best management tools which in turn aim to make employees work smarter, better, and faster. Recent reports are already speculating that the market for smart offices is set to grow rapidly in the next few years.

Four Day Work Week was the third most searched for employee benefit with 500,900 searches. Both Belgium and Wales have recently opted to trial a four-day workweek, with hopes that companies can be just as effective when employees are working fewer hours. This is currently a hotly debated topic, and there is little research done to prove either way. However, the theory is that employees will be more motivated and less worn out working only four days.

4 day work week dog friendly office hybrid working menopause leave paid sick leave paternity leave pet friendly office signing on bonus subsidised gym membership workplace demands

Paul Arkwright

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