More than half of employees globally would quit their jobs if not provided post-pandemic flexibility: EY survey finds
13 May 2021: More than half (54%) of employees surveyed from around the world would consider leaving their job post COVID-19 pandemic if they are not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work, according to the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey.
The survey – one of the largest global surveys of its kind – canvassed the views of more than 16,000 employees across 16 countries and multiple industries and job roles. It explores employee attitudes and experiences to work throughout the pandemic and into the “next normal”.
The survey finds that nine in ten employees want flexibility in where and when they work. Given the choice, more than half of employee respondents (54%) would choose flexibility in when they work. By comparison, 40% want flexibility in where they work. On average, employees would want to work between two and three days remotely after the pandemic.
The job roles most likely to move jobs include managers/leaders, those with technology or finance roles, and caregivers. Those most likely to stay in their current roles include baby boomers, individuals with 10+ years of tenure, and those in government or education roles. Attitudes to job retention differ by age, with millennials twice as likely as baby boomers to quit. Despite the apparent willingness to move jobs for more flexible working arrangements, most employee respondents (76%) say they are satisfied with their jobs and almost all (93%) say they plan to stay in their current roles for the following 12 months.
The survey also canvassed attitudes to existing work practices, with employee respondents broadly positive about the impact of remote working. Almost half (48%) say their organizational culture has changed and improved during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, while only 31% believe it has worsened.
The survey also explored employee respondents’ views on the COVID-19 vaccine and found that 61% want their company to make vaccination a pre-requisite for working from the office. Attitudes toward vaccinations vary between geographies, with 66% of respondents in South America agreeing that companies should require vaccination of all employees, compared with a comparative low of 52% in EMEIA.
