We asked 325 professionals on LinkedIn what perks mattered most to them beyond salary and traditional benefits like healthcare. Here’s what they said:
- 71% responded by choosing “Flexible work options”
- 21% of respondents said “Extra PTO/Summer Fridays”
- 1% of respondents said “Team events and outings”
- And 7% chose “Learning and Development”
Continue reading for a breakdown of these results and what they may tell employers about what today’s workforce values most.
Why Flexibility Wins by a Landslide
The overwhelming majority of professionals in our poll chose something that gave them more control over their time. In fact, 92% selected either flexible work options or extra PTO and Summer Fridays.
Flexible work is often discussed as another employee perk, but our poll suggests professionals may see it as something more important. They aren’t asking for flexibility because it’s trendy. They’re asking because it can have a real impact on their day-to-day lives.
Flexibility could mean being able to go to a doctor’s appointment without taking an entire day off. It could mean picking your child up from school and logging back on later. For someone else, it might simply mean starting and ending the workday an hour earlier.
The takeaway isn’t necessarily that everyone wants to work from home. It’s that employees value having some level of autonomy over when and how they get their work done.
That makes this bigger than a conversation about perks. Employees aren’t necessarily asking for more perks. They’re asking for flexibility, autonomy, and trust.
Flexibility Doesn’t Have to Be All or Nothing
There is often a disconnect between what employees actually want and what employers are realistically able to provide. Remote and flexible work can get treated as all-or-nothing: either you’re a “flexible company” or you’re not. That mindset can keep a lot of employers stuck.
Listening to your employees doesn’t mean you have to completely change how your company operates. It means understanding what matters to them and finding realistic ways to meet those needs where you can.
For example, a company could spend thousands of dollars on a summer outing that employees enjoy, but that experience may not have the same day-to-day impact as greater flexibility. Our poll showed that just 1% of respondents chose team events and outings, compared to 71% who chose flexible work options.
Company outings, team lunches, and other perks still have value. The results don’t necessarily mean employees don’t value these experiences. They do suggest that when asked to choose, professionals overwhelmingly prioritized benefits that give them greater control over their time. Before deciding what employees want, it may be worth simply asking them.
Flexibility Doesn’t Have to Mean Remote Work
Completely changing how your company operates isn’t the takeaway here. Before defaulting to easier-to-implement perks like team lunches, wellness stipends, or office amenities, consider smaller ways to give employees more control over their time:
- Flexible time off in hourly increments
- Early closure on Fridays
- Flexible start and end times
- Four-day, 10-hour work schedules
These options can give employees more flexibility without eliminating in-office requirements.
Flexibility isn’t one-size-fits-all, and it doesn’t have to mean remote work. The goal is to find realistic ways to give employees more control over their time while still meeting the needs of the business.
Find the Right HR Talent for Your Organization
Understanding what employees want is one thing. Turning that feedback into effective policies, benefits, and workplace strategies requires the right HR leadership.
Our human resources headhunters help organizations find HR professionals who understand employee engagement, retention, and how to build workplace strategies that support both employees and the needs of the business.
