Well-being support is top priority among job seekers, survey finds

Workers place a high value on employers supporting their well-being, according to research from Paychex Inc.  

According to a recent survey, 62 percent of respondents strongly agree or agree that employee well-being, support and benefits are a top priority when applying for, or considering, their next job. The survey was conducted in partnership with Future Workplace, an Executive Networks member company. 

This sentiment reflects changing employee perspectives on their overall well-being over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

More than two-thirds of employees stated that prior to the pandemic their overall well-being was good or very good, while during the height of the pandemic, fewer than half of employees felt that way. And, while that number indicates it is starting to recover, well-being has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. 

“As workers continue to leave their jobs in record numbers, organizations need to constantly take the pulse of what employees expect from their employer and adjust their offerings accordingly,” said Jeanne Meister, the founder of Future Workplace and executive vice president at Executive Networks. “A focus on supporting their well-being will be a standard expectation that most employees will have of their employer, now and in the future.” 

The report shows that employers have several opportunities to improve their support of employee well-being, with less than half of respondents reporting that their employer prioritizes their well-being. 

When asked to consider the five core components of well-being and identify which component they’re struggling with most, here is how employees responded: 

• Financial well-being (29 percent) 
• Mental/emotional well-being (24 percent) 
• Physical well-being (17 percent) 
• Social well-being (17 percent) 
• Career well-being (13 percent) 

When asked to identify the actions employers can take to improve employee well-being, worker opinions varied.  

Providing additional paid time off was the frontrunner, followed by offering better mental health benefits, offering better health insurance, more adequate staffing and offering better financial wellness training and benefits.  

Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2015 – has the biggest desire for better mental health benefits out of any other generation surveyed. Additionally, Gen Z are more likely to want their employers to provide better childcare benefits than other generations, the survey found.  

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