[Global] Push for a workplace return prompting Gen Z resignations

A survey has revealed that companies demanding employees to attend their workplace every day could prompt those workers to join the Great Resignation instead. Getting Gen Z workers to work in person all the time may pose a particular challenge, Insider reports.

ADP Research Institute’s new report, "People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View", included results from a November 2021 survey of over 32,000 workers in 17 countries. The countries surveyed include the US, ​​India, and the Netherlands.

According to the survey, 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds agreed that "if my employer insisted on me returning to my workplace full-time, I would consider looking for another job." 

That reflects a higher rate than among older workers. Overall, ADP Research Institute found 64 per cent of the workforce agreed with this statement.

"I think that for them, for this segment of workers, the change from workplace to home was probably pretty natural," Nela Richardson - the chief economist at ADP and co-author of the report - told Insider, regarding younger workers. "It probably felt like an extension of their social lives in some sense, because they hadn't yet been cemented by the workplace. And so the challenges of going back to work are more formidable."

"These are young workers who never really got their foot in the door and honestly don't know what they are missing in terms of the workplace," Ms Richardson said. 

While those who prefer not to return to the workplace full-time might be missing out on building relationships with coworkers or the social element of working in an office, as well as learning by observing their coworkers, some Gen Zers do not mind being out of office.

Ms Richardson said that the 71 per cent figure could also be because "across the board, we're seeing workers place more value and priority on time."

These young workers may have joined the workforce during the pandemic when remote work became more common. They may have become accustomed to seeing coworkers through screens and not having to get up early and travel to sit at an office desk. 

And it’s not only Gen Z who could quit and apply to a new job if they have to go into the workplace daily.

For parents, for instance, the flexibility of remote or hybrid work may be beneficial for taking care of their children in between meetings or being able to avoid the commute into the office and take care of their children when they're sick.

Whether it's Gen Z or parents who are at risk of leaving, companies who want workers to return may see turnover. 

Greater flexibility around work hours and locations could be a way to attract and retain workers reluctant to return to the office full-time.

"If you look at the survey, it's not necessarily that people want to just work at home, it's that they want more flexibility in their workday," Ms Richardson said.

"We've seen the blurring of the lines between work and home," she said. "And that's probably something that persists that people don't just forget about their life when they go to work. And so accommodating that more for younger workers is probably the future of work that should be addressed."

Among those who don't want to commute to their workplaces all the time, some might even consider a pay cut, according to the report.

"If it came to it, employees are prepared to make compromises if it meant more flexibility or a hybrid approach to work location with more than half (52 per cent) willing to accept a pay cut – as much as 11 per cent – to guarantee this arrangement," a press release about the new report said.

Although companies may wish their employees to make a return to the office full time, people seem to be coping well with working remotely. According to the survey, 64 per cent of those working from home say they talk about career progression with their employer compared to 43 per cent of those working on-site. Two-thirds of remote workers also reportedly said their contributions are recognised versus just over half of those working on-premise.

"It's great that remote workers feel like they're well paid and compensated, and that they have good career progression, but what we don't want to do is lose out on the people who have to go into the office," Ms Richardson said, adding that remote jobs "tend to be more knowledge jobs." 

"And so that dichotomy between people who have to go into the office and who don't; I think companies should be aware and make sure that they are providing the same employee experience and career progression to their on-site workers as they are their remote workers to keep those workers engaged and retained."

Source: Insider

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

A survey has revealed that companies demanding employees to attend their workplace every day could prompt those workers to join the Great Resignation instead. Getting Gen Z workers to work in person all the time may pose a particular challenge, Insider reports.

ADP Research Institute’s new report, "People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View", included results from a November 2021 survey of over 32,000 workers in 17 countries. The countries surveyed include the US, ​​India, and the Netherlands.

According to the survey, 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds agreed that "if my employer insisted on me returning to my workplace full-time, I would consider looking for another job." 

That reflects a higher rate than among older workers. Overall, ADP Research Institute found 64 per cent of the workforce agreed with this statement.

"I think that for them, for this segment of workers, the change from workplace to home was probably pretty natural," Nela Richardson - the chief economist at ADP and co-author of the report - told Insider, regarding younger workers. "It probably felt like an extension of their social lives in some sense, because they hadn't yet been cemented by the workplace. And so the challenges of going back to work are more formidable."

"These are young workers who never really got their foot in the door and honestly don't know what they are missing in terms of the workplace," Ms Richardson said. 

While those who prefer not to return to the workplace full-time might be missing out on building relationships with coworkers or the social element of working in an office, as well as learning by observing their coworkers, some Gen Zers do not mind being out of office.

Ms Richardson said that the 71 per cent figure could also be because "across the board, we're seeing workers place more value and priority on time."

These young workers may have joined the workforce during the pandemic when remote work became more common. They may have become accustomed to seeing coworkers through screens and not having to get up early and travel to sit at an office desk. 

And it’s not only Gen Z who could quit and apply to a new job if they have to go into the workplace daily.

For parents, for instance, the flexibility of remote or hybrid work may be beneficial for taking care of their children in between meetings or being able to avoid the commute into the office and take care of their children when they're sick.

Whether it's Gen Z or parents who are at risk of leaving, companies who want workers to return may see turnover. 

Greater flexibility around work hours and locations could be a way to attract and retain workers reluctant to return to the office full-time.

"If you look at the survey, it's not necessarily that people want to just work at home, it's that they want more flexibility in their workday," Ms Richardson said.

"We've seen the blurring of the lines between work and home," she said. "And that's probably something that persists that people don't just forget about their life when they go to work. And so accommodating that more for younger workers is probably the future of work that should be addressed."

Among those who don't want to commute to their workplaces all the time, some might even consider a pay cut, according to the report.

"If it came to it, employees are prepared to make compromises if it meant more flexibility or a hybrid approach to work location with more than half (52 per cent) willing to accept a pay cut – as much as 11 per cent – to guarantee this arrangement," a press release about the new report said.

Although companies may wish their employees to make a return to the office full time, people seem to be coping well with working remotely. According to the survey, 64 per cent of those working from home say they talk about career progression with their employer compared to 43 per cent of those working on-site. Two-thirds of remote workers also reportedly said their contributions are recognised versus just over half of those working on-premise.

"It's great that remote workers feel like they're well paid and compensated, and that they have good career progression, but what we don't want to do is lose out on the people who have to go into the office," Ms Richardson said, adding that remote jobs "tend to be more knowledge jobs." 

"And so that dichotomy between people who have to go into the office and who don't; I think companies should be aware and make sure that they are providing the same employee experience and career progression to their on-site workers as they are their remote workers to keep those workers engaged and retained."

Source: Insider

(Links and quotes via original reporting)