When it comes to retaining staff, some companies think that beers on a Friday, lavish award ceremonies and a pool table will cut the mustard and foster loyalty from a team, but if they really want to make an impact the fun stuff isn’t what they need to be pushing.

Unsurprisingly in a post-Covid world, flexible working, and the ability to work remotely came out as the things people wanted from employers most.  This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given that the majority of people in the UK have successfully worked from home at some point over the past two years.

Other popular choices were time off in lieu, leave for fertility treatment, menopause and miscarriage and the ability to take time off to focus on mental health.

Anthony Sutton Director of Cream HR says “It doesn’t come as any surprise to me that these are the things that people want.  As much as people might enjoy elaborate parties, a stylish and conveniently located office, a games room to let off steam and after work drinks, what people really want from an employer is to feel seen, heard and appreciated.

The things that make people feel valued at work are rarely material, people want to feel human, they want to know that if they experience loss they are not going to be pressured to come straight back to work, that if they are struggling with their mental health they won’t be judged or penalised.

As well as flexible working and working from home there are numerous things employers can do to show staff how important they are including ensuring they are offered and take their time off in lieu, promoting an environment where people are encouraged to leave on time and ensuring people are getting recognition for the work they do.

As a manager it is also important to lead by example. Don’t brag about working late hours and never taking holidays. Instead show that working hard means enjoying things out of work too – take time off to attend your daughter’s sports day or your best friend’s wedding.”

The direction of travel is that flexible working, TOIL, leaving on time  and having policies in place around employees’ mental and physical health should be standard and evidence shows that the tide may be turning, with a report from Statista showing that in 2021 over 4 million employees in the United Kingdom had employment contracts that allowed for flexible working hours, making it the most common flexible working practice in that year.

Anthony said “This is definitely a step in the right direction. I’m hoping that as we emerge from the pandemic, we continue to see an increase in flexible working as opposed to businesses returning to their old and often rigid ways.  Hopefully one good thing to come from the past two years will be employers recognising what their teams want and need.”