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UK companies offer ‘early finish Fridays’ to attract zoomers
https://www.whatjobs.com/news/united-kingdom/uk-business-news/uk-companies-offer-early-finish-fridays-to-attract-zoomers
By Nithya Bose in UK Business News, posted April 9, 2023
UK employers are increasingly trying to attract and retain Generation Z workers by providing an early Friday end in a tight labour market.
It attempts to compete for younger employees who value work-life balance after the pandemic altered priorities, making them embrace flexibility.
Several firms still strive to lure staff into the office by offering free barista-style coffee and massages.
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Data obtained by the job market statistics and insights firm Adzuna show that over 1,400 UK job adverts last month highlighted an "early-finish Friday" as a benefit for potential candidates.
In 2018, just 583 companies offered an effective weekend extension, five years before Covid-19 pushed white-collar staff to work from home.
The benefit has been aimed more strongly at junior jobs, with more than 75 percent of those listed haveing the salary bracket of £20,000 and £40,000.
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Andrew Hunter co founder of Adzuna commented on the work life balance trends saying. “Work-life balance has come into focus since the pandemic and employees are demanding more. In response, we’ve seen a surge in work perks offering flexibility or reduced hours to tempt new joiners … we expect this figure to stay strong as employers seek new methods to tempt top talent.”
Engineering roles accounted for 348 jobs offering the benefit, while sales roles accounted for 207 of the listings.
Adzuna data shows that around 156 openings were in technology, with another 90 in general graduate roles.
The next biggest category was sales and marketing, with 74 job adverts mentioning the perk.
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This benefit comes as businesses fight to fill vacancies in one of the most competitive labour markets in decades.
During the pandemic, many young people left employment and entered into further education. There was also a big rise in the number of over-55s taking early retirement.
The number of openings has fallen marginally in recent months from record highs to 1.1 million - this figure is still very high and is projected to remain high while this shortage persists.
Source: The Guardian
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