randstad workmonitor 2024 - soft factors are more important for swiss workers.
Pressrelease
Employees in switzerland value mental health support and demand strong social values and equality from companies.
- Employees are looking for employers with the same values as them. Currently, 50% of the respondents feel that they cannot fully be themselves at work, and must hide aspects of their personality. 32% of Generation Z feel misunderstood by their employer.
- Career ambitions are declining: almost half (47%) of the Swiss respondents are happy in their careers given where they currently are. Only a little more than a third want to assume leadership responsibility in the future.
- Further development opportunities in AI and skills development are non-negotiable: 30% would not accept a job in which there is no opportunity to acquire new knowledge.
- Flexibility needs a rethink. While 28% of employers expect to be back in the office, 30% of employees are willing to quit their job if they do not have the option of working from home.
- click here for the Report and further details
Randstad's latest Workmonitor has shown that strong company values are becoming increasingly important to Swiss talent, as is flexibility, while technologies including AI are no longer negotiable. Career ambitions, on the other hand, are taking a back seat.
The independent study identifies the sentiment among employee each year and reflects labor market trends among 35,000 respondents in 34 countries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. A global trend sees employees wanting to feel more comfortable at work and attaching more importance to soft factors than to salary and career. This global tendency is even more pronounced in parts of Switzerland.
Employees are looking for employers with the same attitude as them
Equality and diversity are indispensable to everyday working life, and play an increasingly important role in one's choice of employer. 35% of the Swiss employees who responded would not accept a job at a company that did not match their values in terms of social and environmental issues. Employees are looking for a job where all facets of their person can be accepted. Currently, however, 50% of the respondents feel that they cannot be fully themselves at work and have to hide some aspects of their personality. In Generation Z, 32% feel misunderstood by their employer, compared to 29% of Millennials.
The factors that are most important to respondents in Switzerland when it comes to diversity and inclusion are equal pay, at 67%, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) at 46%.
When it comes to work-life balance, employees see the responsibility for improvement as being equally divided between themselves and their employer. When it comes to equality, diversity, sustainability and career development, they see the company as having a greater duty; whereas motivation and mental health remain their own responsibility.
Millennials feel more ambitious than other generations
The trend of valuing one's private life above one's work will continue in 2024: 55% of respondents say that their private life is more important to them than their job. This also affects ambition and motivation when it comes to professional advancement. Almost half (47%) of the Swiss respondents are happy in their careers given where they currently are. Only 35% see a leadership position as being for them, and only 41% would like to work in a full-time position in the future.
Compared to other generations, Millennials in particular think they are more ambitious than others, closely followed by Gen Z. However, soft factors remain more important than career opportunities for all generations: the most important factor when thinking of the current or future employer is how much support is offered in terms of mental health (91%). Just over half (54%) of employees see themselves as having a responsibility in that direction.
AI and tech are non-negotiable parts of the job
Even if career ambitions have declined, Swiss employees want to continue their education and remain at the latest level of development. 30% would reject a job in which there is no opportunity to acquire new knowledge that they can use in the future. 26% would even quit if they were not offered further training in, for example, artificial intelligence.
AI and tech play an essential role in this and are non-negotiable parts of the job for employees. Even more important in terms of new knowledge are opportunities for development in the area of well-being and mindfulness, according to 31% of the respondents, followed by IT skills at 27% and communication and presentation training at 24%. The commitment felt by employees towards their employers is high: 60% feel connected.
Flexibility must be thought of in a more complex way
The study shows that the back and forth between employers and employees around returning to the office will run on into 2024.
Over the last six months, a quarter of employers have become stricter and are ordering their employees back into the office. 28% require even more presence in the office. This conflicts with changed private circumstances such as changes of residence or new pets. For at least 19% of the respondents, their living conditions have changed accordingly. 30% of Swiss respondents are willing to quit if they have to spend more time in the office. For 35% of respondents, having the option of working from home is non-negotiable.
Bernhard Hänggi, CEO Randstad Schweiz on the data: "From the employee's point of view, flexibility must be thought of in a more complex way than before. It's no longer just about a general home office arrangement or flexitime. If equality is to apply to flexibility, nuanced working models must be created that can meet individual needs."
about randstad
Randstad is the world's largest HR services provider and a preferred partner for its clients. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds and helping them stay relevant in the fast-changing world of work. We have a comprehensive understanding of the job market and help our clients create the quality, diverse and flexible workforce they need to succeed. Our 46,000 employees around the world have a positive impact on society by helping people realize their true potential throughout their working lives.
Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen in the Netherlands. In 2022, we helped more than 2 million people in our 39 markets find a job that feels good and advised more than 230,000 clients on their talent needs. We generated revenue of €27.6 billion. Randstad N.V. is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.ch.