Despite cost-of-living crisis, employees motivated most by work-life balance

New research* exposes the mental state of workers in the UK, what motivates them in the modern workplace and the biggest factors that will contribute to resignations in 2024.

State of employee mental and financial wellness driving resignationsAs we begin a new year, the research from HiBob uncovers a miserable state of employee mental wellness, as one fifth (20%) of Brits feel burned out at work and more than a quarter (29%) are stressed. Shockingly, only one in seven (16%) would describe their mental state at work as supported.

As a result, the majority of UK workers (70%) are planning on finding a new job in 2024; with over a quarter (28%) planning on finding one in the next six months. Given workers’ current feelings, driving this new wave of resignations is a desire to level out work life balance (17%).

New year, new priorities: ‘Work to rule’Almost a third (30%) of UK workers say that what motivates them the most while at work is proper support for a work-life balance, followed by working towards a salary increase or promotion (29%).

Taking their work-life balance and workplace culture into their own hands, this year a fifth (22%) of British workers plan to set boundaries at work and say ‘no’ more often to requests that would make them work late, extend their working hours, or increase their workload beyond what was originally agreed.

Working remotely vs in the officePost-pandemic, one of the biggest conversations concerning the workplace has been around working from home vs in the office. Although many Brits are seeking out a better work life balance this year, only one in ten (11%) are planning on working from home more frequently, as 88% plan on maintaining an office based or hybrid working pattern.

The data also reveals that the core factors compelling people into the office are separating work from home (20%), collaboration and teamwork (19%), access to resources (14%) and free heating in the winter (13%).

However, two fifths (40%) of UK workers are worried about the increase travel costs associated with a return to the office being mandated.

Ronni Zehavi, CEO and Co-Founder, HiBob comments “As we head in to 2024, our research shows that employees across the UK are feeling stressed, burned out which is leading them to reassess what they want from their workplace and employer. While pay increases aren’t always possible during times of economic headwinds, these insights make it clear, at a time when there is a war raging for attracting and retaining top talent, supporting employees’ work-life balance is going to e a key differentiator for businesses in 2024.”

Research from HiBob