Workers want and need more from their employers, including good compensation, flexibility, a caring workplace culture and positive future. That’s according to a new report, People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View, from ADP Research. 

“Employers should not underestimate giving workers greater control and support to fulfill their potential, enhancing their motivation and dedication to their jobs,” ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson wrote.

The annual study of workers across 17 countries included data from 3,850 respondents in North America — the United States and Canada. 

Sixty-eight percent of Americans said they received a pay raise in the last 12 months, and most are expecting to see a net increase in pay within the next 12 months. Seventy-five percent of Americans expect to see an average increase of 6.7%.

If their companies cannot afford a pay increase on this scale, almost four in 10 workers (39%) worldwide said they would be happy with additional paid leave (39%). Others said they would opt for shorter working weeks (32%), grocery or shopping vouchers (28%) or a one-off payment to help with the cost of living (26%).

“Companies that take an innovative approach to finding new (and potentially more cost-effective) ways of rewarding staff in difficult financial circumstances could find that there are benefits on both sides,” according to the report.

Job flexibility ranks high on the list for many employee respondents. In North America, 39% of workers said that having flexibility of hours is important, and 21% said that flexibility in location is important. The latter is a fairly new desire that has occurred since the onset of the pandemic, as remote / hybrid work has become an option for many, according to the research.

A positive workplace culture has gained prominence as a need considered vital by workers. They also appreciate financial well-being advice against the backdrop of increasing cost-of-living pressures, according to the findings. More than half (53%) of North Americans respondents said that their employers provide financial well-being advice.

Positive workplace culture also includes attention to workers’ mental health, the report noted. 

“Notably, one in five (20%) of workers [across all 17 countries] say that creating an inclusive workplace culture is a key plank of their employer’s support for positive mental health, up from one in one in eight in 2022,” according to the report.

About half (56%) of US workers responding to the survey said that they are satisfied with the training they have received, and 52% of Americans said they are satisfied with their career progression.

Overall, the data show that workers’ sense of satisfaction with their current employment and their optimism about the next five years in the workplace remain high, especially among younger workers.