How to make all your employees happy (enough)

Getting employees all on the same page about their benefits and work arrangements is no easy task, yet leaders are still striving to find a happy medium. 

When it comes to ever-changing work arrangements, deciding between hybrid and remote work, or requesting employees return to the office has certainly ruffled feathers across the workforce. The generational divide between work preferences has revealed there's not a perfect solution, either. 

According to Fiverr, 76% of respondents agreed that their current work arrangement did not meet their ideal preferences because they were required to be in the office more often than they preferred. However, younger employees actually liked in-office work better than their baby boomer peers. The opportunity to socialize and network was appealing for this group. Meanwhile, millennials and older workers appreciated the flexibility to work hours outside of a 9-to-5 schedule. 

No matter their preference, employees should be valued on the quality of their work, not the quantity or time spent on it, says Gali Arnon, Fiverr's chief marketing officer. 

"The wide range of preferences when it comes to working schedules is an important reason why employers should place more emphasis on workers' skills and output rather than their working hours," Arnon says.  

Read more about the generational divides in work habits — and what your employees really want: Boomers, millennials and Gen Z all disagree on the best work arrangements — can employers find middle ground?

For employees interested in a hybrid work schedule, there are plenty of employers currently offering it. FlexJobs released its second annual Top 100 Companies for Hybrid Jobs list for 2023, where they ranked the companies recognized for having the highest number of hybrid job openings over the last 12 months. 

Read on for the top companies hiring for hybrid roles: CVS, Peloton and DoorDash among top 25 companies offering hybrid jobs

For many employees, work is simply a means to a paycheck. But what they do with that money depends on a variety of factors and personal circumstances. For Yanela Frias, Prudential's president of group insurance, supporting all employees with their financial needs can lead to better financial outcomes, especially for those in diverse communities. 

"I was born in Cuba, and my family moved to the U.S. when I was eight," she says. "From the very beginning, that is an experience that shapes who you are. Not everybody has the same access. Not everybody has the same financial education and understands the needs or the solutions that are available." 

Read more of Frias's story and how she's supporting diversity in financial education: Prudential's president of group insurance is focused on helping all employees be financially successful

For any good leader, prioritizing people means finding the right balance of management needs with what employees want. As the VP of ThreeFlow, a benefits placement system, Anitra St. Hilaire has taken part in company-wide initiatives to help support both executive leadership and employees. She's been focused on ensuring hiring remains strategic and thoughtful amid an unsteady labor market, while finding ways to nurture the relationships between employees and leadership in an all-remote setting. 

"In the beginning of my career, my decisions were based on what management wanted and whether employees would take it or leave it," she says. "Now it's a more nuanced integration of what's going to be inclusive, what's going to be meaningful, what's going to afford development and growth for both individuals and the company itself." 

Read on for how St. Hilaire found the right balance for her team: For ThreeFlow's Anitra St. Hilaire, the secret to leadership is putting people first