This month's data roundup takes a look at benefits companies offer versus what employees want, as well as influencer pay expectations, and how in-person events lead to an increase in brand trust.
What Workers Want
The benefits that companies offer versus what employees say they want do not line up, according to a survey by Stagwell and Express Employment Professionals.
While 62% of employees want flexible work hours, for example, only 47% of companies offer this benefit.
Similarly, 51% of employees want flexible work locations, but only 40% of employers offer this as an option.
If these mis-matched priorities mean communicators are looking to make a move, there’s good news for those PR pros looking to go out on their own. Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Google Trends, PR firms are the country’s second-most recession-proof small business, according to Forbes Advisor.
According to the analysis, PR agencies, along with marketing consulting services, have been among the top performers over the last 15 years.
According to the same analysis, the Great Recession saw a 4% increase in agencies, while the late-pandemic period (2021-2022) saw a 6.64% increase.
Influencer Pay
Roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population (66% percent) believe that student athletes should be allowed to benefit financially from NIL (name, image and likeness).
According to a Seton Hall Sports Poll, this number is even higher when it comes to sports fans (72%).
What’s more, half of the general population (52%) believe that colleges and universities should have the power to block NIL agreements if they conflict with the mission statement of the college or university. When the same question was asked in 2021, only 40% of the general population said yes.
As for influencers outside of the NIL space, a report released by Intellifluence shows the results of a compensation questionnaire sent to influencers. Expected and perceived compensation ranges were based on the number of followers and across platforms.
The survey found that smaller influencers had a much higher perceived value of those with 1M followers than what those with that large of an influence actually charge.
On Instagram, for example, influencers with fewer than 1,000 followers believe that those with 1M followers are paid nearly $20,000 while in reality the amount is closer to $1,000.
Factors for Business Trust
According to the 2023 Freeman Trust Report, 77% of survey respondents trust brands more after interacting with them in-person at live events. On top of this, 72% of respondents are left with the impression that the brands with which they interact will “try hard to have a positive impact on society.”
These numbers were slightly higher for return customers; 80% of existing customers reported an increase in trust, compared with 72% of prospective customers.
In other business trust-related news, PwC released its 2023 Trust Survey. The findings indicate that while 84% of executives think that customers trust their companies, only 27% of customers say they do.
Additionally, the survey finds a disconnect between what consumers and employees view as important trust factors. While companies have increased communicating their purpose and values, consumers are most likely to consider data security (79%) and customer service (74%) as important trust factors. At the same time, employees value appropriate wages (80%), protecting employee data (75%) and clear communications (72%) as their most important trust factors.
Erika Bradbury is editorial director for PRNEWS. Reach her at [email protected].