Pensions, Sick Pay and Flexible Working are Top of Jobseekers’ Wish List, According to New Survey by Moneypenny

A new survey shows that a pension (51%), sick pay (52%), and flexible working (46%) are the top three benefits that are deemed essential job requirements for UK workers. The survey of 1,000 people, by leading outsourced communications company, Moneypenny, revealed that job seekers also believe free eye tests (38%), working from home (37%), and maternity and paternity leave (36%) should be mandatory perks.

Work Benefits Employees Believe Should Be Mandatory

Sick Pay                                                                                52%
Pension                                                                                 51%
Flexible working hours                                                      46%
Free eye tests                                                                       38%
Ability to work from home                                                37%
Maternity, paternity and adoption leave                        36%
Time in lieu                                                                           35%
Kitchen facilities with tea and coffee                               35%
Training and ongoing professional development          34%
Death in service insurance (pay out of up to five
times annual salary if you die in employment)              31%

In terms of non-mandatory job perks, being able to work from home was incredibly important to those surveyed, cited as important by 30%.

The Most Important Non-Mandatory Job Benefits 

Pension                                                                                  42%
Sick Pay                                                                                 41%
Flexible working hours                                                      40%
Ability to work from home                                                30%
On-site parking                                                                    23%
Death in service insurance (pay out of up to five
times annual salary if you die in employment)             21%
Training and ongoing professional development         20%
Bonus scheme                                                                       19%
Free eye tests                                                                        18%
Time in lieu                                                                           18%

The survey also revealed some of the more unusual perks currently offered by UK employers, which include unlimited paid holidays (4%), dog-friendly workspaces (5%), having a day off for your birthday (6%) and private dental services (7%).

There are also clear generational differences in desired workplace priorities: 25% of  Gen Z (18-24 year olds) would prefer to have weekly drinks and beers on Friday, and to travel for work, compared to just 2% of the boomer generation (65+ years), who wish for the same. In contrast, Gen Z employees would prefer to have a pension (60%), sick pay (48%) and flexible working hours (38%).

However, sometimes it’s the extra little bonuses that catch a job seeker’s attention, and lead them to apply. Moneypenny therefore analysed 1,000 job roles advertised on Indeed, to find out what benefits they’re offering.

Perhaps owing to greater awareness of the importance of good health following the pandemic, health and fitness oriented benefits are increasingly listed in job posts. For example, 12% of posts listed access to a gym as a key benefit, 3% listed free healthcare, while other wellbeing focused benefits listed include free annual flu jabs, yoga sessions, and access to free counselling services. Surprisingly, only 0.4% of job posts mentioned a dedicated mental health support service.

Other benefits mentioned regularly include casual dress (10%), bonus schemes (8%), bike to work schemes (7%) and training (6%).

Moneypenny’s analysis also revealed inclusion of some unique work perks, including ‘planting a tree for every new employee that’s hired’, beauty treatments, ice cream and burger vans on Fridays, and unlimited paid holidays.

The survey also showed clear differences in job perk offerings across different industry sectors. For example, the digital marketing industry lists the highest amount of work perks, at an average of 6.5 benefits listed per job post. This sector was closely followed by the data industry, offering an average of 6.3 perks per role, then the digital editorial/journalism industry (5.1 benefits), customer services industry (4.9 benefits), and the research industry (4.6 benefits).

Commenting on the Moneypenny survey and analysis, Ceri Henfrey, Chief Operating Officer at Moneypenny, believes that one way to keep staff happy is to give them competitive and useful benefits that will enhance their working experience: “We’re not surprised to see flexible working, wellbeing programmes and more fun-focused perks being features in job listings, however it would be amazing to see more companies following suit in the future.”

Source: https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/resources/blog/the-work-perks-on-offer-for-uk-job-hunters/