Important findings on the remuneration, benefits and expectations of workers and employers in Greece emerge from the research entitled “Salarias & Benefits – Balancing Expectations and Offers”, carried out by the Wheewework network.

The research shows a significant divergence between employee demands and employer offers, while a more general feeling of frustration of the workforce as well as a search trend for a better professional home is evident.

The survey lasted from April 15 to June 1 and took place in Greece, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungarywhile more than 9,000 regional respondents participated, including both employees and employers.

To Greece In total more participated more of 1,500 employees and employerswith their answers revealing that most employees in the country are not satisfied with the salary and privileges package they receive (proportional to their role and experience) and are open to changing their professional home immediately. At the same time, the majority of employers do not plan a radical changes in their companies’ remuneration policy, which proves that there is a significant gap between human resources and company policy.

It is worth noting that participating employees and professionals HR come from a wide range professional branches, with the majority working on Retail, constructions, health – medicine, consulting, telecommunications, banks etc. The research made sure there was a good balance at the level of participants as employees from entry level to managers responded, and there was a balanced representation of employers, from small businesses to companies with more than 1,000 employees.

Costin Tudor, CEO of Wheewwork, emphasized the importance of the findings, noting: “The results of the research are vital, as they help us better understand how the labor market in Greece is changing and how it compares with other European labor markets. The gap between employees ‘expectations and employers’ bids is not limited to simple numbers, but reflects a deeper need for transparency, dialogue and access to reliable information. In this context, the findings in Greece provide a revealing picture of the country’s labor market, where the clear mismatch between employees’ expectations and employer offers suggests the urgent need for substantial changes. “

Pessimism for increases by workers and escaping tendencies

The findings are of particular interest in the desire of workers to change their professional home directly. Only 10.6% of participants say they are pleased with their jobs, almost 30% say they are looking for active new jobs, 44% reported that in the event of a good professional opportunity they would like to go to another company and almost 9% stress that they would probably consider the work.

The dissatisfaction of the workers is also evident from the big difference between the salaries they receive and those who consider fair based on their role and experience. In more detail, 48% of respondents say “unhappy” or “very unhappy” by their income, 36% say “neutral emotions”, 15% “satisfied” and only 0.5% “very satisfied”. At the same time, almost one in two employees states that it has not received any increase in the last two years (almost twice that of other countries) and only one in ten replies that it has received more than 10%increase.

What do workers ask for

The overwhelming majority of workers (65%) hierarchies as an important factor for Change of work a better earnings package (salary and other amenities). In second place on the list is the best working environment (16.5%), followed by professional development opportunities (9%), teleworking and flexible program (6%) and other factors (3%).

In terms of additional benefits of companies (out of salary), employees are more common in private health insurance (40%) and follow food coupons (33%), efficiency bonus (27%), flexibility – teleworking (27%) and life insurance (11%). 94%of participants, however, notes that salary increase is the element that would persuade them to stay more in their company, while other benefits that would have the same result are the opportunities for development (57%) and the largest bonuses (42%). In any case, there is not much optimism in this piece either, as 57% predict absolute stagnation in salary and benefits over the next two years.

There is no tendency to increase from employers

The answers of the employers involved in the survey offers important information about Current remuneration strategies in Greece. According to findings, 21% of employers reported that the average net salary in their company was below 1,000 euros, while 34% said they ranged between 1,000 and 1,500 euros. Only 3% said the average salary exceeds 3,000 euros.

In terms of additional Benefits, 10% of employers admitted that it offers no Benefit. Nearly 50% said it provides additional benefits of up to 100 euros a month, while 30% reported it was worth between 100 and 200 euros.

It is important that 62% of employers said they did not plan to increase the benefits budget, while 9% said they were considering cuts. Only 15% have planned to increase benefits, with the same percentage considering the possibility of introducing new Benefits. At the same time, only 15% of employers said they intended to significantly revise the overall compensation strategy next year. On the contrary, most companies are planning either targeted changes in specific sectors (47%) or minimal adjustments (37%).

The main factors for workers’ stay and the importance of feedback

Although there is no significant tendency to increase salaries in Greece, almost half of employers (49%) recognize that the overall fee is the most important factor for both the maintenance of existing workers and to attract new talents. Following are the balance between professional and personal life (23.33%) and corporate culture (14%) as key staff conservation factors, while professional development opportunities (9%) and management quality (5%) are rated lower.

However, it is an encouraging fact that the overwhelming majority of employers are interested in receiving feedback from employees about how satisfied they are staying from their income, but there is a variety of ways they receive it. The dominant methods include internal research, individual discussions, informal feedback methods and online rating platforms. Only 14% of employers said they did not collect any feedback from their employees.

Need for changes

Research findings clearly capture the expanding gap between expectations of employees and at employer strategies in Greece. The absence of substantial interventions in wages and benefits, coupled with the intense mobility and resentment of human resources, highlights the need to redefine employer policy. If businesses wish to maintain and attract talented professionals, they must align their bids with the needs and ambitions of workers in an ever -changing working landscape.