FM newsroom – office, remote work. Randstad recently presented the first details of the “HR Trends 2024” research. Results show, among other things, that salary remains the main decisive factor for talents, and flexible working is becoming a conflict of interest between the employee and employer sides.
Attractive workplace: salary still leads the way
Companies participating in the Randstad HR Trends survey clearly believe that competitive pay and employee benefits make a workplace attractive. Its weight has increased by +4% to 94% since last year – no doubt due to inflation. In addition, flexible working hours (73%) and ensuring a work-life balance (72%) also made it into the top 3 characteristics of an attractive workplace this year. Among the factors that increase the attractiveness of the workplace, compared to last year’s survey, the importance of a strong employer brand (+9%), good training opportunities (+6%), and a diverse and inclusive environment (+12%) show a strong upward trend, as Realista.Ingatlan.com points out.
The survey that was conducted by interviewing the top managers of more than 350 Hungarian companies operating in various industries shows that the benefits offered by the companies are similar to before. Financial benefits include a mobile phone, an individual, performance-based bonus, provision of a parking space and reimbursement of travel expenses. Among the non-financial benefits, trainings, the possibility of working at home, and a flexible work schedule are at the forefront.
The importance of the salary is also supported by the fact that in the vast majority of cases the employee quits because they are expecting a better offer elsewhere. The possibility of career development is also an influencing factor, according to 49% of the respondents, the lack of this is also a cause of leaving.
Back to the office
Flexible forms of work are now a serious employee expectation, but here we can experience a conflict of interest between the two sides. Typically home office means working remotely 2-3 days a week, but overall, employees can spend fewer days working from home compared to 2022. The good news is that 91% of companies do not plan to change this this year.
According to the latest data, only 17% of companies offer a home office option 3 days a week instead of 27% in 2022. The proportion of those recommending fully flexible working has decreased to 12%, while the proportion of those canceling the home office has risen to 11%, and instead of the previous 10%, 19% of companies now expect you to spend at least one day in the office the worker. According to Sándor Baja, managing director of Randstad Hungary, the fact that 3 out of 10 companies allow no or no more than one day of work from home may indicate that the home office has become a tool for testing employee loyalty and rationalizing the number of employees in the hands of employers.
