A survey conducted by Seesam revealed that almost half of the residents of Estonia would be more motivated employees if their employer granted them paid additional holiday.

“Considering that pursuant to the survey a very large number of people have experienced work stress in the past year, manifested primarily in constant fatigue, this expectation is fully understandable. Additional holiday is the dream of altogether 45% of the respondents and it is at the top of the list of employees’ wishes, regardless of the respondent’s gender, nationality or age,” said Marit Raag, Health Insurance Product Manager at Seesam.

The possibility of taking additional holiday is particularly appreciated among the 25–34-year-old respondents, 57% of whom say it would give them an extra incentive to work. While in the survey conducted in 2021, the expectation of more flexible working time arrangements was ranked as high as additional holiday, this year the number of respondents who missed that benefit remained around a third.

“The coronavirus years showed that people take responsibility for their duties even when they perform them outside working hours or in their home office. This year’s result probably also reflects the fact that flexible work arrangement has already become normality in a large number of companies,” Raag said.

Employees expect employers to contribute to their health

According to many employees, their motivation would be boosted if their employer contributed to the promotion of their health. Ever third employee out of ten said they would be encouraged by their employer’s willingness to pay a sports benefit, while the same number of employees dreamed of employer-based health insurance.

“Health insurance is understandably a very highly valued benefit among the 55–64-year-old respondents, with 43% of them saying it would increase their willingness to work. This age group tends to visit doctors more frequently, which can be done more quickly and at a lower cost with the help of health insurance, outside the waiting lists of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund,” the representative of Seesam explained.

Only a fifth of the respondents found frequent parties and joint activities with colleagues motivating, and there were also those who felt that joint events were rather demotivating.

“When we asked the respondents to name the benefits they miss, the answers pointed to a widespread dissatisfaction with managers. It was mentioned that a manager should be professional, self-confident, be able to involve employees and be able to deal with problems in depth. Poor management quality is undoubtedly a factor that reduces people’s loyalty and commitment,” she said.

Several respondents noted that they would be more motivated if they had more competent employees in their team and the workload were smaller as a result. At the same time, respondents’ feedback also confirmed the simple fact that no benefit can compensate for dissatisfaction with the amount of salary.

“Fair remuneration that is well balanced with the employee’s contribution and a transparent bonus system are nowadays already a hygiene factor, the dissatisfaction with which will sooner or later be expressed by employees,” the representative of Seesam said.