The ‘Great Resignation’ is real and ongoing.

Despite this, the talent that employers are attracting, hiring, and onboarding are more loyal than previous generations.

Research by iCIMS found that 87% of 1,000 UK workers and 70% of 1,000 US workers care about the how long they can stay with their employer.

In fact, 61% of UK job seekers see themselves as staying with an employer for a few years.

But loyalty is only if employers provide the right career development paths, as well as allow workers to have a proper work-life balance.

The report stated that employers need to “create paths to success”. “Empowering employees to grow with your company rather than looking externally for advancement opportunities is critical to building and retaining a strong workforce.

“Internal mobility tools, like internal talent networks and employee development programs, help create a culture of internal hiring by showcasing the opportunities available – and what talent needs to do to achieve growth.”

The iCIMS study further found that COVID-19 has seen workers reprioritize what they want out of the world of work. They no longer want to live to work; instead, they are keen to work to live.

49% of UK workers and 39% of US employees said their views on work-life balance has shifted – in fact, 37% in the UK and 27% in the US say they no longer need to work nine-to-five to be successful at their jobs.

This is particularly the case for younger workers. iCIMS’ ‘Class of COVID-19’ study of 1,000 US graduates found that 48% had changed their views on working hours and no longer needed to work nine to five to be successful.

Spotlight on mental wellbeing benefits

In line with their heightened focus on work-life balance, iCIMS’ study found that employees want to more mental wellbeing support from their employers than ever before.

The research discovered that one in three (31% in the UK, 32% in the US) expect proper support, and 35% of UK want to be able to talk openly about mental health at work.

This is backed up by iCIMS’ ‘Class of COVID-19’ survey – two in three of recent US graduates expect their employers to engage on wellbeing – this rises to 70% for women.

iCIMS chief people officer Laura Coccaro tells UNLEASH: “Our research confirmed that both British and American employees are seeking better mental health support from the workplace – they expect support from their employer and to have open conversations about mental health at work.

“This demand is increasingly coming from recent graduates and Gen Z who want to feel fully supported when entering the workplace for the first time.

“By putting meaningful perks in place, organizations can attract and retain talent as well showing their commitment with employee satisfaction and wellbeing.”

Interestingly, it seems like a proper work-life balance and mental wellbeing benefits were more important to workers than where they work.

The study identified that just 23% in the UK prefer to work remotely full time, 23% want to split their time between the office and remote locations, and 31% are keen to work onsite full time.

Just 6% of US workers said a lack of flexible working opportunities were pushing them to look for a new job, this rose to 19% in the UK.