What Can Companies Do for Workplace Well-Being?

Is workplace well-being just a good-sounding concept, or is it actually a means of retaining the workforce? The latest research by No Fluff Jobs looked for the answer to what are the factors that can influence the development and satisfaction of employees, based on the experiences of IT and HR professionals. The report also reveals whether the sector's employees are afraid of losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence.

Happiness, satisfaction, well-being - based on our individual aspirations and goals, we mean different things by these terms, but we all want our private life and our workplace to be in harmony with each other.

"Sometimes all it takes is a sense of belonging, acceptance and respect to feel happy at work. However, these can only be truly experienced in an environment that promotes honesty and respect at all levels of the organizational structure," Tomek Bujok, CEO of No Fluff Jobs, highlights a seemingly small but very important aspect that companies should consider. taking into account.

In the long run, it can pay off for them if they invest in workplace welfare services, as these measures can be key both in retaining employees and in creating a better, more attractive work environment. Many studies show that employees who are happy and engaged in their work perform better, take less sick leave and are less likely to leave the company.

There are things that are more important than money

According to the survey, different motivations can be found in the workplace expectations of IT professionals and HR professionals. It is interesting that, while in the case of IT professionals, high salary was at the top of the list, for HR professionals, high salary is only the 5th most important factor (57.7%), instead, they emphasize a supportive and balanced work environment and the importance of personal relationships. At the same time, the second and third most important factor among employees in both fields was the balance of work and private life (74.5 and 73.1%, respectively), as well as the possibility of working more informally - 73.7% of IT specialists would prefer remote work , while 68.1% of HR professionals prefer flexible working hours.

Although IT professionals consider the assessment of their technical knowledge to be extremely important, and nearly a quarter (23.6%) of them acknowledge the existence of development opportunities, 17.8% do not take advantage of the available opportunities because they are not adapted to their needs. 29.1% of respondents reported that they had no opportunity to develop their skills at all.

Based on the results, employers should examine how they can better customize non-financial benefits as well, how development programs can be better coordinated with the specific needs of IT professionals. By improving time management or workload distribution, as well as providing accessible, relevant and flexible development opportunities, the satisfaction of IT professionals can be significantly increased.

Boundary between work and private life

Many IT professionals struggle to maintain healthy boundaries between work and personal life. 39.6% of respondents sometimes take work home, which can contribute to stress and affect personal time. At the same time, almost the same number of them (47.1%) take care not to take work home, which shows that managing work obligations during working hours is balanced.

It is also a cause for concern: more than a third of IT professionals (37.9%) keep their work phone on during their vacation or after working hours, and this constant readiness can negatively affect free time and family life. Working while sick is also quite common. 38.6% of the respondents work despite the illness.

In the case of HR professionals, the situation is even worse when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance. More than 52% leave their work phone on during vacation or after working hours, 44% sometimes take work home, the same number think about work in their free time, nearly 43% also work when sick, and 35.8% every month work overtime.

However, the results show that the majority of respondents (IT – 64.7%, HR – 67%) are satisfied with the balance between work and private life. At the same time, there is still room for improvement in order for a greater proportion of employees to be able to optimally reconcile their professional and private lives. Improving flexible working hours and promoting a supportive work culture could further improve satisfaction levels.

The risk of relocation

According to the results of the survey, nearly 21% of IT professionals are currently actively looking for a job, and approximately 41% are open to new opportunities. At the same time, 47.2% of them are open to foreign job offers involving relocation.

The fact that almost half of the respondents would be willing to move abroad for a better job offer indicates that the current workplace environment and benefits do not necessarily fully satisfy their needs.

This openness to foreign opportunities is a particularly important signal for employers to strive to meet employee needs in order to improve workplace satisfaction. This may include providing competitive pay, flexible working hours, work-life balance and career development opportunities. These steps can not only increase job satisfaction, but also promote talent retention, reducing the risk of relocation

Would the headlines announcing the fear of IT people be wrong?

According to the research, neither the development of artificial intelligence nor the industry crisis has a negative impact on the feeling of stability at work. Almost 73% of respondents are not worried about losing their job in the near future.

However, the uncertain and worried responses indicate that certain factors, such as changes in the economic environment or the labor market, affect employees' sense of security. Workplace communication and employee support in dealing with uncertainties can be important for companies.

The same is the case with HR people in the IT sector. The majority of respondents (66.5%) are not significantly worried about losing their job in the near future, which indicates a sense of job security and stability.

In the No Fluff Jobs survey of Hungarian employees, the majority of respondents in both target groups belong to the 25-34 age group, while the second largest group is the 35-44 age group. According to the data, the majority of IT respondents (78.49%) are men, while 20.4% are women. In the case of HR professionals, the situation is reversed - 88.4% of respondents are women and 11% are men.