Flexible working has been voted the most attractive benefit an employer can offer above other perks ...
Flexible working has been voted the most attractive benefit an employer can offer above other perks including protection, according to a report commissioned on behalf of Zurich, writes Lucy Quinton.
Living Britain found that people were reassessing their social and work-life balance. Supporting this, another report from the Economic and Social Research Council found that more than 80% of employees rated flexible working as the most attractive benefit.
Professor Michael O'Donnell, chief medical officer at Unum, said it was interesting that when people looked at issues surrounding work, there was often conflict between work and home life. Therefore, companies offering flexibility should do so to accommodate employees, he added.
While people in their 20s tended to work longer hours, when people hit their 30s their priorities changed, meaning they reassessed the balance between work and the home.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Lowri Turner, a journalist and broadcaster, said: "As people get older, companies start to realise their employees want a life and this is no longer just necessarily women."
The report highlighted that men as well as women were taking advantage of the UK's growing 'I control my schedule' culture, and increasing numbers of workers were opting to work outside the office.
Phil Wood, human resources director at Zurich, UK Life, said: "Offering an objective-based performance assessment that doesn't rely on how long that individual stays in the office but rather what they actually deliver is becoming more common."
Alan Lakey, principal of Highclere Financial Services, said: "Not so long ago, a company-sponsored pension was one of the main attractions to potential employees."
He added: "There was a trend among employers to pay a salary and leave it up to the individual employee to decide whether to buy a car, take out a pension or health benefits."
