As in previous years, PwC Hungary has conducted its Employee Preference Survey in 2021 as well. According to the results, corporate culture and management have gained importance in the workplace choices of young people in the second year of Covid. The option of working from home has made it into the top ten of job preferences for the first time this year. Reduced uncertainty did not change employees’ priorities this year, which had experienced a complete reordering last year: base salary still remains top priority, followed by a flexible and predictable work schedule. This year, PwC Hungary has surveyed the job preferences of young and experienced employees in Hungary for the fifth time – and Coca-Cola Hungary has won the Most Attractive Employer Award in the FMCG category for the third time.
How do young people choose a job?
The results of PwC’s survey show that the reduced uncertainty has not led respondents aged 19 to 28 to return to the priorities they had before the pandemic. Moreover, certain aspects became even more pronounced, with base salary remaining the top priority. This is followed by control over working hours, i.e. a flexible and predictable work schedule. Young employees accept if flexibility goes hand in hand with occasional overload, but they expect corporations to provide proper compensation in such cases.
The new situation clearly strengthened the role of corporate culture, which is key not only to a better employee experience but also to a successful and appealing employer branding. Employees and job seekers give a higher priority to immediate colleagues and management style: these factors earned the fourth and sixth places in young employees’ overall ranking in 2021.
Róbert Bencze, Director of People & Organisation, HR Consulting Services at PwC Hungary said: “This result unambiguously sets the homework for corporations and their leadership: organisations need to adapt to the new expectations. They must rethink the proportion of home days to office days, or the concept of flexibility within one working day, and they must understand that their employees require different arrangements and methods for working and relationship building.”
Where are we going to work?
Experienced hires and career starters have different expectations regarding working from home. The option of remote work is particularly essential to employees over 28: it is the fourth most important factor in choosing a workplace. Although working from the office is important to young employees because it helps them in learning and relationship building, their responses also reveal that they would not return to the offices of a company that will not offer the option of working from home any longer.
Who is responsible for upskilling?
According to PwC’s Global CEO Survey, 83% of the CEOs intend to invest in the digital transformation of their companies. Accelerated processes require a higher level of knowledge and more skills from employees, but competencies based on social and emotional intelligence have also become more appreciated in organisations.
Coca-Cola Hungary is also reaching out to young people
Coca-Cola Hungary won PwC’s Most Attractive Employer Award in the FMCG category again this year. The company's HR strategy has been paying great attention to communicating with college and university students for years now, as they are the future employees of the company, whether they’ll become business developers or leaders of the future. With this goal in mind, the company participated in the HVG and job4me job fairs this year and deepened its relations with several universities, colleges, and AIESEC students through strategic partnerships. The company’s more active presence on the most visited social media sites also aims to reach the younger generations.
