Non-office workers say flexibility is as important as pay

Nearly half (46%) of non-office based workers consider flexibility just as or more important than pay, but few are seeing this in their jobs.

According to research by recruitment agency Randstad, only 24% of non-office based employees have seen an increase in flexibility since the pandemic, compared with 52% of office-based staff – many of whom have benefitted from the rise of hybrid working arrangements.

Flexibility is often seen as the ability to work from home, but Randstad said employers should think about how they can make jobs that require workers to be on site, such as teaching or manufacturing, more flexible.

Two fifths of non-office workers (40%) think that flexibility is possible in their line of work.

Three in 10 non-office workers valued flexibility in working schedules most highly, with only 16% of white collar workers agreeing. A further 22% non-office workers considered flexibility in the number of hours worked as most important, compared to only 9% of those in office jobs.

Nearly a third of survey respondents in non-office based jobs said they had quit or changed roles when their demands for flexibility were not met, compared with 52% of office workers.

Sander van′t Noordende, CEO of Randstad, commented: “Historically there has been a perception that flexible working is not possible for non-office roles, but this view is shifting.

“For employers, providing flexibility in an equitable way for blue and gray collar workers will have a positive business impact. Businesses need to adopt flexibility with intentionality within their strategies, which means understanding that flexibility means different things to different people.

“By embracing and adhering to the demands of all talent it will encourage loyalty, as well as attract new employees to businesses and industries.”

The survey involved 7,500 workers in the UK, US, Australia, France and Germany.

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