75% of Workplace Expectations Prioritize Opportunity, Compensation, and Work/Life Flexibility, Big Data Study Finds
The Great Resignation of 2021 took the job market by storm after almost 33 million Americans quit their jobs between January 2022 and spring 2021. While the COVID-19 pandemic did play a significant role in the Extraordinary Exodus, many other factors have come into play that are attributed to the massive amounts of Americans looking for a new place to work.
Most Americans did not quit their jobs to spend an indefinite amount of time sans-career. In fact, finances have been one of the primary concerns among American citizens throughout the pandemic. According to another CulturIntel study, compared to 2020, the mindset towards finances shifted from becoming protective of their finances (following the negative economic impact from the first year of the pandemic) and more towards building financial stability in the coming years.
The primary reason for a majority of the 33 million Americans partaking in the Great Resignation is a result of bargaining power shifting to be in favor of employees and, in return, the employees are in search of workplaces with better treatment and higher pay rates.
Developing a good company culture has been a constantly-evolving force with no single definition, each organization is able to define what they see as fair ethics and an enjoyable company atmosphere. Though, with the shift in dynamics and increase in job market following the first year of the pandemic, employees have a better chance of negotiating what they deem to be a healthy workplace.
So what are employees looking for in the workplace as we enter 2022? What are some of the potential trends we can expect to see throughout the year in the ever-evolving workplace culture that stems from the power employees are taking back following the Great Resignation? CulturIntel’s data has some answers.
ABOUT THE STUDY
To better understand the mindsets and expectations towards the workplace from employees going into 2022, the AI-powered market research tech CulturIntel harvested over 28.4 million digital conversations about the workplace from December 2020 to December 2021.
Using its proprietary algorithm powered by artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and big data tools, CulturIntel mined all available open-source digital discussions available throughout 2021 to structure and cluster patterns in public opinion and predict trends for mindsets and expectations in the workplace for 2022 across various segments. The methodology used to understand these mindsets arguably represents one of the most authentic sources of insight; not depending on a survey or poll.
Segments in this study include: Overall conversations, Hispanics, Black Americans, Asian Americans, boomers, gen Xers, millennials, people living with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
WHAT ARE THE TOP MINDSETS AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE?
The data reflected five primary mindsets and expectations in the workplace: work/life flexibility, supportive culture, mission, growth/opportunity, and compensation.
TOP INSIGHTS AND TRENDS
The overall workplace expectations uncovered that employees are prioritizing respect and being properly rewarded for their work ethic moving into 2022 as 75% of conversations reflect opportunity/growth, work/life flexibility, and compensation as the top expectations.
ASIAN AMERICANS
This means that 2022 calls for more opportunities to create growth and flexibility efforts in the workplace. For example, 31% of Asian Americans see compensation as a top motivating factor when choosing a workplace while, simultaneously, over a third of conversations among gen Xers seek out high growth and opportunities as their top expectation in the workplace.
HISPANICS AND LGBTQ+
Moving into 2022, more initiatives for diversity and inclusion are imperative to retain employees.
Compared to the overall category, Hispanics and LGBTQ+ community members are 1.4x more likely to view supportive work culture as a top priority in the workplace. Each segment indicates that having a supportive work environment paired with a strong mission to make a difference in the community is a factor, if not a top expectation, when choosing a new job.
BOOMERS
Boomers, however, are the least likely segment to focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Only 4% of boomers see a diverse mission statement as a top priority in the workplace.
HOW TO TURN INSIGHTS INTO ACTION
Staying on top of data trends allows businesses to not only better understand multiple consumer segments, but also to create more meaningful relationships and target various segments with a meaningful campaign that allows them to feel seen and heard in the workplace while promoting healthy and inclusive company culture.
