The availability of flexible schedule agreements and the evolution of work models (remote, face-to-face and hybrid) were some of the biggest global changes in the corporate market in the last four years.
According to the People at Work 2024 report: Global Workforce View, produced by the ADP Research Institute, having flexibility in schedules is a very important aspect for 30% of Brazilian professionals and the work model is a significant criterion for about 16% of them. Globally, alternative schedules are valuable for 25% of employees, while 15% value flexible formats.
In Brazil, 57% of professionals are in hybrid regime, 41% need to have an integral presence in the office (every day of the week) and only 2% work remotely. The study also shows that the percentage of the global workforce that operates in 100% models in person grew from 52% in 2022 to almost 55% in the last year, with a two-point reduction in the percentage of hybrid workers. With 12%, the share of professionals in the world who work remotely has practically not changed.
Globally, among the items most valued by workers, the work model and flexibility of schedules already lose to salary, job security, pleasure in activities and career progression.
Remote professionals also feel more threatened, with 24% of them perceiving job insecurity.In the hybrid regime, 20% feel insecure, and 19% have the same feeling in the face-to-face.
“A search for flexible work arrangements will not disappear, but it is no longer a priority among other labor market characteristics that professionals value, such as career progression and pleasure at work”, says Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “Our research offers an important lesson for employers. Although employees enjoy the autonomy that flexible work formats offer, they also feel that their employers monitor them more. Companies must establish clear standards for external work and communicate them with transparency to foster the trust”.
Multigenerational approach
With the presence of a more mature workforce alongside a new generation entering the market, companies will need to address the different priorities of professionals of varying ages.In the future, balancing corporate initiatives that support multiple generations will be critical to fostering a positive work environment.
There are some key differentiating factors between older and younger professionals at the moment:
- Adults aged 25 to 34 are less likely than any other group to make daily pleasure at work a top priority (26%);
- 17% of adults aged 18 to 24 value the freedom to choose where to work, compared to 13% of employees aged 55 and over;
- Most employees between 45 and 54 years old classify salary as a top priority (62%). Compensation is prioritized by 56% of professionals aged between 25 and 34 years and by only 44% of employees between 18 and 24 years;
- For professionals over the age of 55, schedule flexibility is still quite important.In this range, 31% place flexible hours among their top priorities, compared to less than 24% of those between 18 and 24 years.
Workers feel monitored
Most of the workforce believes that their employers monitor their time and presence regardless of where they are, but this belief is more prevalent among remote workers (68%). Hybrid employees (65%) are also more likely than their in-person colleagues (60%) to feel they are being watched
The perception is the same among managers: they also feel the watchful eye of their companies. More than 77% of them say that their employers observe them more closely, compared to 46% of the led.
The belief that employers are watching their employees more than ever does not prevail in all sectors.In social communication, marketing, IT and telecommunications (segments that tend to be more remote & professional suspicions intensify. Paradoxically, the Health segment, in which many functions must be performed personally, has the highest percentage of workers (73%) who claim to be feeling more monitored than ever.
In the travel, transportation, retail, dining and leisure segments, professionals are more likely to be in contact with customers and to work in person ( FEWER employees feel that time and presence are being monitored more closely.
For more information, read the “ reportPeople at Work 2024: A Global Workforce View”.
