By Carl Day, Chief Sales Officer, Apogee Corporation
The focus on attracting and retaining employees with talent and potential has become more intense in recent years, but approaches can often be based on nothing more than assumptions about what workers value the most. Every employee is unique, with different preferences, routines and drivers, which need to be considered if everyone is going to be given the right tools to thrive.
After Apogee polled 1,000 UK employees in mid-size businesses in the UK, it uncovered findings that employers would do well to heed if they want to keep top talent and create an environment where every employee can do their best work. We can condense them here into five points that relate to the workplace, including conceptions of success, the qualities needed to be a modern CEO, and attitudes to technology.
- Employees value sustainable tech over the latest gadgets
The belief that employees want to only work with new tech is a common assumption. It runs along the lines that only the latest equipment can provide the speed and efficiency needed to work seamlessly.
The research found the contrary to be the case, in fact there is a shared openness to the use of sustainable technology, with almost three-quarters (73%) of workers saying it is important. More than nine-in-ten respondents (92%) believe refurbished equipment has a positive impact on the environment, with fewer than 1% of all respondents say they would only accept new devices.
In terms of wider technology deployments, organisations should therefore be considering the use of refurbished devices and reducing print volumes to improve their ESG credentials.
- Careers aren’t the only priority
Some employers can also easily assume that career progression and financial rewards are paramount in employee considerations. Yet, it’s increasingly common today for workers to have mixed motivations as the importance of wellbeing is righty recognised. Younger generations, such as Gen Z, for example, value their free time and desire well-defined boundaries between their work and their private life over traditional markers of success like salary or title. In the research, 46% of respondents put the priority on achieving work-life balance – far more than a competitive salary (36%).
They do expect to develop their skills and gain experience that is portable too, however, there is a distinction between self-declared extroverts and introverts. Extroverts are far more likely to prioritise learning and development (20%) than introverts (11%).
- Success means different things to different personalities
Employees all have different ideas of success that employers need to take into account. For example, while 50% more extroverts than introverts define workplace success as the ability to collaborate with others, 63% more introverts than extroverts cite getting their to-do list done at the end of the day as their definition of success.
Success in the workplace varies because every employee works uniquely. The workforce has diverse needs, meaning every individual needs tailored tools and technology that aligns with their strengths and goals to truly maximise their potential.
- It’s not only extroverts who are earmarked for the top
There is a common belief in the corporate world that to succeed as a CEO, one must be an extrovert—charismatic, outgoing, and always in the spotlight. This stereotype suggests that only those who can effortlessly command attention and lead with boldness are fit to sit in the corner office. However, when asked which attributes make the best CEO, the survey found varying views, with many recognising that there are other valuable skills that can be bought to the table. 43% believe CEOs need to be both introverted and extroverted – a mixture of both personality types. Effective communication, taking an interest in employees and putting their needs first all emerged as key qualities for a CEO.
- Productivity is both a matter of personality and place
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to technology and employee productivity in the workplace because of the different preferences driven by personality types. For instance, 84% of extroverts struggle to work productively in a remote setting, highlighting the need for in-person interaction to thrive. Conversely, 86% of introverts find that their productivity does not improve in the office, suggesting that the traditional work environment may not cater to their strengths. Remote technology is crucial for introverts, with 30% reporting it helps them communicate more confidently and 43% stating it allows them to voice their ideas more freely. However, the same technology can hinder collaboration, with issues such as poor engagement, subpar audio quality, and a lack of effective interaction leaving 27% of employees unable to collaborate effectively.
Workers’ views of work, careers and technology are not as predictable as many employers might think. There is much talk about alignment of values when discussing the workforce, and these five factors are pointers that employers need to consider if they want to retain the best talent and enable them to utilise their unique strengths.
