Traliant Survey Reveals Changing Employee Priorities Require More Transparency, Trust and Flexibility To Build the New World of Work

As leaders rethink workplace culture to better fit the needs of  employees, new research finds nearly half of workers are prioritizing their family, personal life and mental health

Traliant, an innovator in online compliance training, released findings from a nationwide survey  How Employees are Shaping the New World of Work  that explores employee attitudes and expectations about the future of work in a post-pandemic era. The survey of 2,000 full-time employees across the US underscores the need for organizations to align employer-employee values and priorities to improve worker engagement, recruiting and retention and build a more inclusive, ethical culture.

Flexibility, work-life balance, psychological safety and environmental, social and governance issues (ESG) are among the factors that are increasingly important to employees in 2023 and beyond. The Traliant report digs into these elements of the workplace, how they’re impacting employee sentiment and what actions leaders can take in light of these trends.

“We’ve seen how the pandemic has changed how we think about work, and our survey makes clear that organizations need to change, too,” said John Arendes, Traliant CEO. “As leaders, we need to create a culture of trust, transparency and flexibility and ensure employees feel valued and included.”

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Survey highlights include:

For many employees, flexible work arrangements are table stakes

• 81.7% of employees said that hybrid/remote options have provided them with better work-life balance.
• 1 in 5 employees said they would look for a new job if their employer required them to return to onsite work.
• 48.9% said in the last year they have made family and personal life more of a priority, followed by mental health (47.1%), and taking work more seriously (38.4%).

Employees want psychological safety, whether working onsite, remote or hybrid

• 21.6% of employees don’t feel their workplace promotes psychological safety and 50.8% said that their work environment promotes burnout.
• Employees who trust their organization are more likely to stick it out in uncertain times
• 56.5% of employees said they are more likely to work overtime and 54.2% will advocate for a company they trust.
• When there’s a lack of trust, 43.8% of employees are less committed and 56.3% don’t feel connected to their company.

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Employees want to be involved in company ESG initiatives

• 47.8% would like to be more directly involved in opportunities to make real change when it comes to their employers’ commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
• 54.1% said that they would leave their current company for another organization that is more aligned with their ESG values.

Fear of retaliation and workplace toxicity remain hurdles to preventing harassment and creating a speak-up culture

• 22.3% of employees have reported unethical behavior in the last year and 20.7% have been a target of retaliation for reporting misconduct.
• 59.1% of those who don’t feel comfortable reporting misconduct say it’s because they are worried about confidentiality (51.9%) or losing their job (35%).

Effective compliance training must reflect employees’ work environment

• 33.1% of employees say compliance training should mirror their job and work environment, including modern videos they can relate to and shorter, more targeted microlearnings throughout the year.

“One of the takeaways of the survey is now that HR leaders have a seat at the senior leadership table, they should lead the charge by asking employees what they need to be successful, and then craft an action plan that works for employees and the business,” said Maggie Smith, VP of HR at Traliant. “If you’re not listening to employees and willing to adapt, good talent will go somewhere else. Employees want to be involved and it’s critical to keep them informed and adjust as the data warrants. To go forward, you can’t go back.”

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