Employees value having a convenient office location (75%) and flexible working hours (71%) as their top workplace benefits, according to research by YouGov.
Its Success in the modern workplace report, which surveyed 2,027 employees, 1,029 employers and 976 retirees aged 50 or over, further found that 62% of employees value the ability to work from home, 49% enjoy the opportunity to challenge themselves and 47% list having assurance of career progression as important.
Other benefits that rank highly with current members of the workforce include free snacks (28%), gym memberships (21%) and a discount scheme membership (17%).
Employers, on the other hand, stated that staff value flexible hours (63%), a convenient office location (62%) and the ability to work from home (62%), as well as opportunities to challenge themselves (57%) and assurances around career progression (44%).
Retirees also maintain similar views on the most desired employee benefits, with 53% having valued a good office location, 51% approving of flexible working hours and 49% agreeing that opportunities for employees to challenge themselves were important. Furthermore, 48% cite assurance of career progression as a top benefit, although 45% also define more responsibility in the workplace as something they would value.
Rudy Sooprayen (pictured), director of business-to-business research at YouGov, said: “It’s interesting how low down the list of workplace benefits classic office perks, such as free food, discounts and social clubs, are for both employees and bosses, considering how often they are offered as job extras.
“Our data clearly shows that when it comes down to it, the benefits that matter most to [employees] are the ones that provide flexibility in working and offer the option to work around commitments, such as family life.”