Jobs: Fun-seeking employees want more from the nine-to-five, or else!

That’s one of the findings of a round table discussion of business leaders discussing the changing attitudes of professionals in the UK,

The message is that workers once saw a job for life as the ultimate goal of employment but now in-demand skilled employees know that despite the recession they are a much wanted commodity.

Gary Chaplin, of Communicate Recruitment Solutions, said: “Wind back 40 years and there was the sentiment that employees’ surroundings didn’t matter. But now that the workforce has become more transient and a ‘job for life’ doesn’t exist anymore, the workplace environment has become a far more important aspect.”

Sam Carey, of consultancy Impact UK advised the panel that integrating employees’ work lives and home lives is the key to providing a great workplace and managing staff-retention.

“We don’t talk about a work/life balance; we talk about a work/life weave. Mixing those two things together and not just being ‘nine to five’, the workday extends beyond and we have so many things that happen around the edge of the business,” she said.

“Allowing people the freedom to create the atmosphere and vibrancy of the place and to develop really strong relationships is really important.”