Would Workplace Benefits Tempt You to Switch Jobs?

We spoke to 1,000 working Brits to see how likely they would be to move jobs because of the benefits being offered by a prospective employer.

Employee benefits vary depending on the role that you find yourself in, and more and more employers appear to be using them as a cornerstone of their strategy to retain their top talent.

We all know that traditional benefits such as a company car can be a massive attraction for employees, yet more and more often we are seeing companies offer alternative benefits such as an early finish on a Friday, which can make a surprisingly big difference to how employees view their happiness in a role!

To explore this further, we decided to speak to people in work in the UK to find out which benefits are most appealing, and how likely they would be to switch their job for the right benefits package.

The grass might be greener on the other side

Our survey revealed that most working Brits view an attractive benefits package as a legitimate reason to up sticks for a new role, but some benefits are more tempting than others.

For example, roughly seven out of ten of the people we spoke to (68%) said that they would consider a move specifically to secure a four-day working week!

Many business owners are keeping a close eye on the four-day working week trials being run at numerous employers across the UK, and the strong support for it in our study may influence their thinking on if they should bring this in.

A four-day week isn’t the only benefit that people in the UK are keeping their eye out for though. Approximately two-thirds of those we surveyed (64%) said they would consider a job move to secure a role with flexible hours. For people with children or other commitments, the option to shift their working pattern around can make a huge difference both to their wellbeing and finances.

Many jobs do not offer extra money for work completed outside of contracted hours, something that our respondents say could tempt them to move elsewhere. The option to receive overtime pay emerged as an appealing prospect for six in ten (63%).

The desire to be financially rewarded for hitting targets was also popular, with over half of those surveyed (54%) saying they would consider a move for performance-related bonuses.

Benefits most likely to tempt UK workers to move job (% who said yes):

1. A four-day working week (68%)
2. Flexible hours (64%)
3. Overtime pay (63%)
4. Remote working (56%)
5. A company pension scheme (56%)
6. A private healthcare plan (54%)
7. Performance based bonuses (54%)
8. Early finish on a Friday (54%)
9. Company shares (50%)
10. Employee discounts (50%)

The most common employee benefits found in the UK

Another aspect of our survey was to ask workers what their current benefits package looks like.

The results were interesting, with Brits receiving a mix of extensive benefits like a company car or fuel cards, and smaller perks like free fruit and early finishes. Naturally these varied by industry.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, being enrolled onto a company pension scheme (35%) emerged as the most frequently found benefit across all roles and working sectors.

Almost a third of those polled (32%) are allowed to work flexible hours already too, which is perhaps a sign of the more fluid working culture that flourished throughout the height of the pandemic and beyond.

Not all of us are lucky enough to receive employee benefits though. In fact, as many as one in nine (11%) UK workers don’t receive any recognisable work benefits.

Surprisingly, some that do receive work benefits would rather they didn’t – a third of working Brits who are dissatisfied with their benefits (33%) would rather the cash value of the benefits was just added to their salary.

How many of us are happy with our lot when it comes to work benefits?

Fortunately, most workers appear to be broadly happy with the benefits they are receiving, with almost three-quarters of respondents (74%) saying that they are ‘somewhat satisfied’ with their lot.

On the flip side, a quarter of the employees we spoke to (26%) were dissatisfied with the benefits that they currently receive, perhaps explaining why so many workers would consider a move for a job with improved perks.

Those working in the Northern Irish capital of Belfast showed up as the most likely to be unhappy with their benefits – over a third of the workers we spoke to wanted more from their package.

Despite being the business hub of the UK, over a quarter of workers in London (26%) shared their dissatisfaction with their work perks.

Percentage of employees (per city) that are dissatisfied with their current work benefits:

1. Belfast (36%)
2. Liverpool (31%)
3. Newcastle (31%)
4. Nottingham (30%)
5. Glasgow (30%)
6. Sheffield (28%)
7. London (26%)
8. Birmingham (25%)
9. Edinburgh (25%)
10. Manchester (24%)

We also asked our survey respondents to tell us what their role is, to find out which workers are most likely to receive an attractive benefits package and how they feel about their current offer.

Emergency services workers are the employees most dissatisfied with their benefits, with over half (56%) expressing their unhappiness.

Percentage of employees (per industry) that are dissatisfied with their current work benefits:

1. Emergency Service (56%)
2. Marketing / Advertising (50%)
3. Design / Creative (42%)
4. Legal (35%)
5. Transport / Delivery (33%)
6. Recruitment (33%)
7. Property (33%)
8. Administration (33%)
9. Consulting (33%)
10. Manufacturing (30%)

Need advice on how to manage employee benefits?

We’re experts in some employee benefits, such as company cars, fuel cards and company mobile phone deals. As an example, roughly half of the people we spoke to (47%) said that they would consider a job move for a company car or car allowance – it’s well worth the effort of setting up a company fleet to attract the top talent!

For more information on all of that and more, visit our guide section.

Sources & methodology

• Survey of 1,000 UK employees conducted in September 2022