Nearly three quarters of UK workers would work later in life if they could do so flexibly, according to new research.
The Mori survey, commissioned by recruitment firm Manpower, also shows that 59% of employees would be happy working a longer week if their hours were flexible.
The report, What makes a Great Employer?, questioned 1,600 employees in the UK, and 12,229 workers in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
UK employees ranked flexible working and a work/life balance as one of the three top factors when deciding what makes a great employer.
Workers also rated career progression opportunities, competitive benefits and salary package as leading factors when choosing who to work for.
Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower, said: “While it is still the case that benefits and salary often feature at the top of employee wish-lists, employers need to recognise that many employers rate flexibility just as highly.”
“The job for life is long dead,” he added. “People today are likely to have at least two or three different careers in their lifetime and want to have more say over how they work and when they work.
“Many employers have already woken up to this and include this priority in their employment policies.”
After salary and bonus, key workplace issues for employees are the length of the working week (62% rating it important), the number of holidays (54%) and access to paid courses/education (49%).
Flexible working practices are similarly popular with many European workers: an average of 70% would work later in life if they could do so flexibly.
However, there is marked reluctance among Swedish employees to take such a step, with just 38% supporting this compared to 69% in Norway, 68% in Belgium, 72% cin Spain and 84% in Turkey.
Flexible working also scores in the top three of factors determining a great employer with European job seekers, who cite security and stability, salary and benefits and flexible working as essential.
