Most people believe a strong company culture will make them happier at work than earning a high salary, according to new research.
Global jobs website Glassdoor surveyed more than 5,000 adults in the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany throughout June to determine their priorities when it came to job satisfaction.
According to the study, 56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary, with more than three-in-four workers saying they’d consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there.
Although corporate culture was a priority for the majority of respondents, it mattered more to younger adults, Glassdoor’s findings showed.
Two-thirds of British millennials — those aged between 18 and 34 — ranked culture above salary, while half of U.K. workers aged over 45 prioritized culture first. In the U.S., 65% of millennials valued company culture more than a high income, compared to 52% of Americans over the age of 45.
When considering a new job, the vast majority of workers would also take an organization’s values into account — 73% of Glassdoor’s respondents would not apply to a company unless its values aligned with their own.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of employees said their firm’s culture was one of the main reasons for staying in their job. Just over 70% of adults from all four countries said they would look for a role elsewhere if their current company’s culture deteriorated, with that proportion rising to 74% among U.S. workers.
A common misperception among many employers today is that pay and work-life balance are among the top factors driving employee satisfaction,” said Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist, in a press release Thursday.
“Instead, employers looking to boost recruiting and retention efforts should prioritize building strong company culture and value systems, amplifying the quality and visibility of their senior leadership teams and offering clear, exciting career opportunities to employees.”
