We’ve been asking our audience a lot lately about what they value most in a job. The pandemic has encouraged employees to question every aspect of their work — from compensation to workplace flexibility. We want to know how perks, benefits, passion, and pay all stack up now that career priorities have shifted amid Covid.

In favor of better benefits

Recently, we posed a question on LinkedIn asking if you would make the switch from a job that was a financial and professional dream to one that offered better benefits. The majority of the 1,400+ respondents (more than 60 percent) said that they would take the new job with better benefits. The remainder of the respondents said they would not take the new job.

“You have to look at any package in its entirety,” commented one respondent. “If you get stuck on just salary and benefits you are probably only seeing a small part of the picture and are in serious danger of selling yourself short.”

Another respondent said it would depend on the quality and kinds of benefits offered. “Health insurance? I’d be ok with that [as] my husband can put me on his. PTO/flexibility? No way, those are extremely important to me.”

Passion or perks?

In another trending LinkedIn topic, research suggests that people are leaving fulfilling jobs that fuel their passion for roles that offer perks like higher salaries and more flexible work schedules. Many workers have been conditioned to follow their passions and turn down less meaningful work, even if it offers better perks, pay, and benefits. This is especially true among younger workers. According to a Deloitte study, nearly half of millennial and Gen Z workers want to work for a company that aligns with their personal ethics.

We polled our audience to see if they prefer passion or perks in a job. The majority (65 percent) chose passion over perks. Just 35 percent of more than 1,000 respondents polled chose perks.

“In my opinion, this has much to do with where you are in your career,” commented one respondent. “I have passion [for] my industry, but as I plan for retirement, I realize my working years are numbered. My passions can be met in various ways but I have financial goals that I’m more driven by at this point.”

Ultimately, workplace priorities change during each stage of an employee’s career. Still, the question remains, can you have it all when it comes to a job?