What do employees value most? 8 priorities, with the data
What people say matters most at work, from named Gallup and Pew Research Center surveys. Then what a manager can do about each, on a small budget.
What do employees value most? In Gallup’s survey of US employees, pay and benefits came first, followed closely by work-life balance, the chance to do what they do best and job security. Flexibility about where they work, room to learn, recognition from their manager and an inclusive team round out the list. Below are all 8 with the survey behind each, the benefits workers rank highest and two low-cost moves per priority.
What employees value most: 8 priorities
Each figure is what workers said is important to them, with the survey and its date. Click a source to read it.
- Pay and benefits. 64% of US employees called a significant increase in income or benefits "very important" when weighing a new job, the top item on Gallup's list. In 2015 it ranked fourth, at 41%.Source: Gallup, survey of 13,085 US employees, October 2021
- Work-life balance and wellbeing. 61% called greater work-life balance and better personal wellbeing very important, second only to pay.Source: Gallup, same October 2021 survey
- Flexibility about where they work. Asked where they would prefer to work, 61% of US employees with remote-capable jobs chose hybrid, 33% fully remote and 6% fully on-site.Source: Gallup, November 2025
- Doing what they do best. 58% said the ability to do what they do best was very important in their next job. A manager decides much of this through who gets which work.Source: Gallup, October 2021
- Learning and growth. 65% of US workers said a chance to join an upskilling program was an extremely or very important factor in deciding whether to take a new job, and 61% said so about staying in their current one.Source: Gallup and Amazon, American Upskilling Study, June 2021
- Stability and job security. 53% called greater stability and job security very important in their next job.Source: Gallup, October 2021
- Recognition from their own manager. Asked who gave them their most meaningful and memorable recognition, employees named their manager most often (28%), then a high-level leader or CEO (24%).Source: Gallup, 2016
- A diverse, inclusive place to work. 42% said it was very important that the organization is diverse and inclusive of all types of people.Source: Gallup, October 2021
Surveys ask different questions, so the figures don’t add up to one ranking. The pattern holds, though: money and time come first, and the rest is about how the job feels week to week.
What benefits do employees value most?
Pew Research Center asked US workers in February 2023 how important four benefits are to them, whether or not their employer offers them (How Americans View Their Jobs, 5,188 workers who aren’t self-employed).
| Benefit | Extremely important | Very important |
|---|---|---|
| Paid time off | 62% | 27% |
| Health insurance | 51% | 28% |
| Retirement plan, such as a 401(k) | 44% | 32% |
| Paid parental, family or medical leave | 43% | 31% |
Paid time off gets the most “extremely important” votes. But when workers had to choose the one benefit that matters most, health insurance won:
- 43% picked health insurance
- 29% picked paid time off
- 13% picked retirement plan
- 8% picked paid family or medical leave
A manager rarely sets the benefits package, but you control whether people can actually use their time off.
What a manager can do about each, on a small budget
Two moves per priority. None needs a new budget line, only a decision and some calendar time.
Pay and benefits
- Send each person a one-page summary of their total pay: salary, bonus, retirement match and what the company spends on their benefits.
- When you can't raise pay this cycle, say so plainly, give the date of the next review and what would change the answer.
Work-life balance and wellbeing
- Ask everyone to add their planned time off for the next three months to the team calendar now.
- When someone works a late night or a weekend, give them the time back the same week.
Flexibility about where they work
- Ask each person what one change to where or when they work would help most, and answer within a week.
- Try any new arrangement for a month, then review it together before making it permanent.
Doing what they do best
- Ask each person to name the two tasks they do better than most people on the team, and staff the next project from that list.
- Once a quarter, trade away one task someone dreads to a teammate who doesn't mind it.
Learning and growth
- Block one hour a week for learning on everyone's calendar, and protect it like a meeting.
- Read the job description one level up together, and pick the one gap to work on next.
Stability and job security
- Share company news with your team the same day you can, including what you don't know yet.
- Set the quarter's priorities at the start, and explain any mid-quarter change in person, not by email.
Recognition from their own manager
- End every one-on-one by naming one specific thing they did well since the last one.
- Once a month, thank one person in front of the team for a specific piece of work from that week.
A diverse, inclusive place to work
- Ask each person which team habit feels like it isn't meant for them, then change or drop one.
- Before a decision that affects the whole team, ask two people who weren't in the room for their view.
For more ways to say thank you, see our employee recognition ideas; for keeping people longer, our guide to employee retention.
Ask your own team what they value
Surveys describe the average worker. Your team isn't average, so ask. This takes two minutes to answer.
Quick question for the team (2 minutes, reply to me directly): Which three of these matter most to you at work right now? Pay and benefits / Work-life balance / Flexibility on where you work / Doing what you do best / Learning new skills / Stability / Recognition / A team where everyone belongs 1. Your top three, in order: 2. Which one do we already do well? 3. Which one would change your week if we fixed it? I'll share the team totals, with no names, and one thing I'll change.
- Send it privately. Replies go to you, not the group thread, so nobody copies the loudest answer.
- Tally the top threes. Count how often each priority appears; the order tells you more than any single reply.
- Share the totals. Post the counts with no names attached, so people see their answers landed.
- Pick one fix. Choose the most-named item you can actually move, say what you'll do and by when.
- Ask again in six months. Priorities shift with life stage, so a new parent's top three won't stay the same.
To turn the answers into shared team values, try the card sort in our core values guide.
What is the value of work?
Beyond the paycheck, work gives people five things. How much each matters varies a lot: in Pew Research Center’s 2023 survey, 39% of US workers said their job or career is extremely or very important to their overall identity, 34% said somewhat and 27% said not too or not at all.
- Income and security. Money for today, plus health cover and savings for later.
- Structure. A reason to get up, a rhythm to the week and problems worth solving.
- Skills. Every job teaches something you can carry into the next one.
- People. Coworkers, mentors and friends, and the feeling of being part of a team.
- Identity. For some, the job is part of who they are; for others it pays for the life that is.
That spread is why the same perk lands differently across a team. Someone who sees the job as part of who they are may want growth and recognition most; someone working for the life outside it may care more about predictable hours and quiet evenings. Both are reasonable.
Team sessions that match what people value
A hosted hour won't fix pay, but it can give people time to learn, rest and get to know each other.
- Growth: Goal Setting & Goal Getting, a live workshop on setting goals and sticking to them.
- Balance: How To Avoid Burnout, a psychiatrist's talk on the signs of burnout and how to prevent it.
- Belonging: Psychological Safety in the Workplace, a session on building a team where people speak up.
- Connection: Team Discovery Challenge, a hosted scavenger hunt that shows new sides of teammates.
Four live sessions, with today’s price. Each runs an hour on video; book about two weeks ahead.
For a thank-you event, see virtual employee appreciation ideas, or browse lunch and learn sessions. Ready to plan? Get a free quote with your date and headcount; we reply within 24 hours.
