Diot-Siaci unveils the results of its IFOP survey which confirms changes in perceptions of work

Paris, January 27, 2023 – The Diot-Siaci Group, a leading provider of consulting and brokerage services in corporate property and personal insurance, unveils the results of its latest study conducted by the DIOT-SIACI Institute with IFOP on employee attachment to their work and the attraction and retention levers used by companies. Interviewing a sample of 1,003 employees (public and private sectors), the results reveal the real changes that are happening in terms of perceptions of work, its role and the place that employees give it in their lives.

This unprecedented survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022, provides a more objective measurement of what remains acceptable to employees at work and what does not, while the health crisis has led to a profound change in what they expect from their employment. Work has become more utilitarian, less status-based, more dispassionate, and perceived rather as a way of earning money, while the desire for a better work-life balance remains an important factor.

INCREASING NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES WANT TO QUIT

While three quarters of employees (75%) say they are happy in their work, this result reveals a negative trend compared to the January 2022 IFOP survey of a nationwide representative sample of workers; at the same time, the number of employees for whom motivation at work is declining is significantly higher than the remaining number for whom it is on the rise (31% vs. 7%). The explanation seems to lie in the recognition of the work they do. The vast majoritý of French employees (77%) feel they are doing more than expected in relation to the work asked of them, and among them 42% believe this over-investment is not recognized by their managers. The feeling of lack of recognition of one’s work at its true value is particularly marked among employees who alternate between working from home and on-site.

At the same time, the desire to quit is increasing. Although resignation is mostly perceived as a risk, more than half of employees (53%) are currently thinking of resigning (including 15% “often” and 38% “from time to time”). This is a significant increase, to the point of becoming the majority, compared to the start of 2022 when 45% of employees said they were considering resigning.

However, this greater desire to resign does not seem to stem from greater professional self-confidence insofar as this has stabilized for a majority of respondents since the health crisis.

COMPENSATION, OFTEN CONSIDERED INSUFFICIENT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, REMAINS A KEY ATTRACTION LEVER

Unsurprisingly, it is compensation that employees first look at when choosing one company over another. The fact that compensation is by far the most important factor for employees when choosing a company is all the more significant as it is far from being deemed sufficient in their own company. If compensation does not meet employee expectations, why do they stay with their company and remain attached to it? This is mainly due to the aspects that make their work comfortable and enjoyable, first of all through the corporate environment and the geographical location of the company.

Compensation appears to be all the more crucial today as employees see work as more of a constraint (41%) where the goal is to earn money (up 7 points compared to January 2022), rather than a means of fulfillment (32%, down 1 point compared to January 2022).

Only 24% of employees surveyed believe that work is primarily a way to find their place in society. This perception of work as a factor of social integration has been steadily declining for several years (down 7 points since 2016 and down 4 points compared to January 2022). It confirms the fact that the biggest change in the relationship to work is not linked to the content of the work itself but to the place it is given in one’s life. Work remains important but its role is less structuring than before. Fewer and fewer employees see it as an essential status-defining function.

MOBILITY, TRAINING, SOCIAL INTEGRATION FACTOR: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTIONS OF WORK ARE BECOMING MORE MARKED IN MANY AREAS

Implicitly, this study reveals many generational differences that foreshadow future developments in the world of work.

Today, the utilitarian perception of work is even truer among 18-24 year olds who see it more than their elders as a necessity in order to earn money (49% of them, 9 points more than the 35 and over age group), while for the over-50s, work is still a good way to find their place in society (29%, 10 points more than the 18-24 age group). The impact of generational differences is also reflected in the relationship with resignation: 25% of those under 35 see it as an opportunity, while this is the case for only 16% of those aged 35 and over (and 14% of senior employees).

While young people overwhelmingly see themselves involved in at least one type of mobility (74% of the under 35s), this is the case for less than half of senior employees (46%). While progression within the company remains an important element for all age groups, young people are inclined to consider other, more hybrid career paths, and many are looking to acquire new skills in their current role (50% of 18-24 year olds cite this as their greatest professional ambition over the coming years).