As employees place increasing emphasis on working for organisations that align with their individual needs and purpose, new research from Qualtrics reveals that 40% of respondents from Australia and New Zealand consider leaving their current employer because it does not exemplify the values they hold. Almost two-thirds (62%) said they would not consider joining a company that did not align with their values. 

As employers navigate competitive job markets, embrace new ways of working and manage a shift in employee needs and expectations, the Qualtrics findings outline the need for businesses and governments to deeply understand their employee experience drivers. 

More than half of the 1,605 respondents to the study said they would likely look to leave their employer if the company did not meaningfully prioritise work-life balance (56%) or well-being (55%). Others said failure to prioritise diversity and inclusion (35%), social responsibility (33%), and environmental sustainability (26%) could make them look for a new job. 

In contrast, 83% of respondents said they feel motivated to go above and beyond what’s expected of them when their employer’s mission, values, and vision align with their own. 

Managers asked to talk the talk and walk the walk 

Shared purposes and values have become a big part of the employee-employer relationship, with 54% of respondents saying it’s more important than ever for leaders to speak out more about social, environmental, and political issues. Many respondents (48%) to the study said they wanted leaders to speak out more about the issues, and a similar volume (47%) wanted their company to take more action to help address them. 

Alongside a shift toward speaking out, leaders must demonstrate they are living the values themselves - particularly around health and wellbeing. Respondents said leaders were better at exemplifying respect, integrity, and advocating for diversity than they were at work-life balance and mental health. 

For organisations wanting to attract, retain, engage, and enable talent - against a backdrop of the rising cost of living, heightened rates of burnout, and evolving employee attitudes, such as quiet quitting - the Qualtrics findings outline the value of tuning into the unique needs and expectations of their workforce. Equipped with a deeper understanding of what’s important to employees, companies can identify shared interests and prioritise the actions that will have the biggest positive impact on employees and customers. 

“Many people are looking at their jobs, companies, and work in general through a completely different lens than before the pandemic. For employers, this new perspective represents a significant opportunity to strengthen relationships with their teams, which can lead to improved wellbeing, higher engagement, greater retention of high-performers, and better outcomes for customers,” said Steve Bennetts, Psychologist and Head of Growth & Strategy - Employee Experience Solutions at Qualtrics in the Asia Pacific and Japan.