LinkedIn predicts that flexibility will be employers' biggest asset in 2022

The workplace has evolved this past year — and employers and employees are now wondering what the new year has in store for them.

For employees, a focus on well-being in and out of the office will be top priority, according to new research by job search platform LinkedIn. The top three things Americans value most in their career now are work-life balance (34%), compensation (32%) and benefits (26%), LinkedIn found. And with a hiring spree around the corner, employers are going to have to leverage those things in order to attract and retain a successful workforce in 2022.

“We have to really understand the great reshuffle — it is here and about over 40% of people are going to change jobs,” says Jennie Dede, head of global success at LinkedIn. “Those days of people living for work — they're gone. People want work to be incorporated into their life.”

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Providing flexibility has been top of mind for employers throughout the year and will be a focus in 2022 as well, LinkedIn found. Eight-one percent of executives are already thinking through how to bring more flexibility into the workforce.

This means that executives are thinking about how often employees will come into the office, and how much of their workforce can continue to work from home. While 20% of employed adults could work from home pre-pandemic, that number climbed to 70% during the pandemic, according to Pew Research. Today, more than half of those respondents now claim to want to stay remote even once the pandemic is over.

While location is a main factor, the focus on flexibility shouldn’t end there, Dede says. Employers need to be open to flexibility in their hiring practices, too. She anticipates a trend of more skills-based hiring, versus experience or higher education.

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“The thought of hiring people based on skills versus four year degrees is starting to be an interesting conversation with our hiring managers and our customers,” Dede says. “The reason for that is the tight labor market — hiring managers will have to be creative in widening the pool at the top of the funnel.”

Now, more than ever, employees want to be seen as more than just an employee, according to Dede. The future of work is contingent on the ability for employees to see themselves reflected in their company’s values, and for the company to value them in return.

“Job seekers really want to work for companies that stand by something that matters — they want to see how companies give back,” she says. “They want to see how they're going to be invested in. Are they going to be more than just a number? Or are they going to be somebody that really matters?”