We have come a long way since the COVID-19 pandemic. And what a ride the employment market has given us: global unemployment lows, record-high resignations and sky-high salaries. We had entitlements, rights and demands, and to be in with a semblance of a hiring chance, every perk and benefit was on offer. Employers were left spinning.

The importance of employees is well known. The rhetoric of their contribution to the bottom line is regurgitated in every management and business school handbook. However, to know is one thing; to comprehend is another.

That is the gift of the last five years: the real-time understanding of employee value. Even with AI being at the forefront of every industry, business success still firmly hinges on its employees.

What employees want

With that knowledge deeply etched in the minds of leaders, and with the blue sky views ahead for 2025, here is what employees are looking for and how to better engage them.

Job security

The changing economic landscape, inflation and the rising cost of living have made job security paramount. In Australia, in the year ending February 2024, 1.1 million people changed jobs, equating to a job mobility of just eight percent. The only other time Australia saw similar levels was during the Great Recession. As for the United Kingdom, approximately two percent moved jobs in the second quarter of 2024. That’s 204,000, compared to 442,000 for the same period in 2022.

Job security is not a promise; it’s a practice. It is multifaceted and not solely determined by the perception of external economic factors. Employees should be able to witness and sense security through cultural behaviors and actions: strength of leadership in guiding uncertainty, trust through transparent communication, supporting employees during difficult periods and longevity shown with other team members.

Comfort with tech

Intrinsically linked to job security is the pervasive presence of technology. The pace of change is unprecedented and accelerating exponentially. For many employees, the fear is, ‘Will I lose my job to technology’? And in many regards, it’s warranted. By 2027, businesses predict ‘churn’ of almost a quarter of jobs due to emerging and declining roles.

Remove the fear and instill confidence through upskilling. Encourage employees to be adaptable and comfortable with technology and change, to work alongside technology as a tool and even as a colleague, but not a threat.

There may be the discomfort of losing the familiarity of their current role. Instead, frame technology as a gain, highlighting how it enhances and not replaces their value.

Reprieve from workload pressures

The byproduct of the skills shortage has been increased workloads and pressures. It’s different from other times, as the high workloads in today’s workplaces don’t disappear. The cost of your empty seat grew epidemic-like, its contagion reaching other employees and inevitably even impacting your customer base.

The link to wellbeing and fatigue cannot be ignored. Instead of the massage, beanbags or even a day off, fix the situation once and for all. Implement tools and automation, reduce complexity, prioritize high-impact tasks, outsource, re-engineer processes, retrain, upskill or even consider saying ‘no’ to some clients.

Flexible working

No matter the mandates from organizations, employees want control over their work environment. It is my call that this is the one ‘want’ that will never go away. We had a taste of it and find it utterly impossible to let go of. The difficulty is in balancing the crucial business requirements of productivity and employee wellbeing via social connection and collaboration with the adamant pushback.

But it can be achieved. Like all challenging workplace scenarios, have strength in leadership, knowing what is best for your business, aligned employee–employer values and transparent communication with well-documented policies and business practices. Of course, understanding individual human needs is a given.

A place to fit and belong

Belonging isn’t just an emotional state; it’s a cognitive need. Humans are wired to seek acceptance and collaboration. Belonging comes from connectedness and not showcasing every personal quirk. Forget the ‘Om’ of inviting employees to ‘bring their whole selves to work’. No one wants to be exposed to anyone’s ‘full Monty’. Instead, celebrate the diverse strengths that drive collective success.

Welcome collaboration, innovation, debate, new ideas, an abundance of questions to ask ‘why’ of established practices and honor mistakes made from effort, trying, being proactive and innovative. Acknowledge, advocate, share the limelight, elevate ideas, contributions and beyond all, encourage, motivate and inspire.

Remove the obstacles and barriers that obstruct your employees from being their ‘best professional selves’ and have a workplace environment that values and welcomes differences. But it must come from the top. Always.

Opinions expressed by The CEO Magazine contributors are their own.