Diversity, equality and inclusion ‘not important’ say workers | Personal Finance | Finance
Workers have said DEI isn’t that important to them (Image: Getty)
Workers would prefer to earn less if they had guaranteed hours, a major new survey has revealed. And, when weighing up a job, diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) is the least important consideration, alongside benefits and perks.
The research was conducted by Berry Recruitment, a national recruiter with branches throughout the country. It employs predominantly temporary workers in the hospitality, industrial, office/professional, driving, construction, rail and IT sectors.
In the comprehensive survey, workers also indicated that salary remains the most crucial reason for deciding whether they apply for a role, with benefits/perks and culture scarcely registering. When asked what the most valuable benefits an employer could provide were, training and funded courses were the most popular – with team events and activities considered the least valuable.
Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment, which is based in St Albans, Herts, said: “We carried out the survey in order to help employers understand what workers want and value. Respondents said they would prefer to earn a little less in exchange for guaranteed hours.
“In the survey, more than half of those questioned said their personal lives are regularly disrupted by last‐minute changes – it is a major driver of dissatisfaction and turnover. We go as far as saying that predictability is the new perk.
Lee Gamble (Image: Lee Gamble)
Read more: HSBC paying £500 into customers’ accounts from today
Read more: Everything you need to know as group faces major HMRC rule change in weeks
“Results show that workers don’t feel valued because of grand gestures or flashy freebies, but by clarity, consistency, fairness and support. When asked about the most valued benefits, training and funded courses are most important, along with flexible working. Least important are team events and activities.
“When deciding whether to apply for a job, the most important things are pay and work-life balance. DEI and benefits and perks are of very low importance. The results vary between sectors and age groups, but there are some takeaways for employers.
“Transparency, stability, more certainty of hours, better onboarding processes, improved communication, investment in training and progression opportunities are all things that can help improve retention and foster loyalty. For many years we have had a candidate-driven market because of the lack of workers.
“But we are now seeing unemployment rise and this might be why the desire for guaranteed hours is so important. Choice of employment opportunities is narrowing so certainty becomes more important for workers.”
The unemployment rate climbed to a near five-year peak of 5.2 per cent for the period of October to December 2025. The findings of the survey that questioned 444 workers across the country in December can be found here.
