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Hello, and welcome to the April edition of the Fire on the Hill Wellbeing Digest, your monthly roundup of the latest trends shaping employee health and wellbeing, as well as the future of work. This month, we explore the changing expectations around perks and job design, and the growing importance of intergenerational collaboration in today’s workplace.
Are jobs experiencing shrinkflation?
In a recent Quartz article, the former chief economist at Glassdoor argued that jobs are experiencing a kind of ‘shrinkflation’. As many of us will sadly be familiar, this is the term used in consumer pricing to describe a product that shrinks while its price stays the same. In employment, the idea is that while salaries remain stable or increase slightly, non-salary compensation is decreasing, while jobs themselves are expanding to encompass more responsibilities.
There is data to support this. In the UK, the share of UK posts on the Indeed jobs site that mention at least one type of benefit, be it childcare, career development or commuting help, was 65% in September, down from 67% a year earlier.
In the US, wellness programs with resources dropped to 39% of employers in 2025, from 53% in 2021, according to SHRM.
At the same time, it seems that employees are changing their priorities. Data from the careers site Flexa shows that demand for benefits such as early finishes on summer Fridays (searches by workers fell by 36%) and unlimited leave (down by 24%) has decreased. Instead, focus is turning to aspects of the job that offer security, progression and control, such as flexible hours and health insurance.
For employees, hybrid and flexible working can save time on commuting and significantly reduce childcare and transportation costs.
The CIPD’s 2026 Reward Survey found that flexible working was rated the most effective benefit for meeting employer objectives by 75% of respondents. However, only 40% of organisations actually offer it, with many companies actively rolling back remote working and introducing return-to-office mandates.
These trends are likely to force both employees and employers to clarify their priorities. Which benefits have a real impact and which are likely to be experienced as performative? How can employers avoid the ‘shrinkflation’ effect amid rising costs for benefits such as healthcare?
The answer seems to lie in agreeing on non-negotiables while continuing to offer mutual flexibility in other areas.
Global Intergenerational Week
This week marks Global Intergenerational Week, a campaign celebrating and championing meaningful connections between generations worldwide. With five generations now in the workforce, organisations have an opportunity to ask themselves what each generation knows that others don’t and how they can bring that knowledge together.
The case for doing so is increasingly evidence-based. Research highlighted by the World Economic Forum suggests that investing in multigenerational workforces could significantly improve economic outcomes. One joint study estimated gains of up to 19% in GDP per capita. At an organisational level, the OECD has found that age-diverse teams perform better due to the ‘spillover’ of experience and complementary skill sets, which improves collaboration, innovation and productivity.
Meanwhile, rapid advances in AI are transforming how different generations experience work. According to Deloitte, 74% of Generation Z and 77% of Millennials expect generative AI to affect their roles in the near future. However, more recent research shows a widening skills gap: while 84% of workers have used AI tools, only 7% demonstrate advanced capability. Older employees face greater barriers, while younger workers sometimes overestimate their proficiency. Without inclusive upskilling, these differences risk reinforcing inequality.
Knowledge transfer is therefore critical. Intentionally pairing different age groups strengthens learning, reduces bias and improves retention across the workforce. In practice, this means creating multigenerational teams, enabling two-way mentoring and establishing forums, such as shadow boards, to ensure that diverse perspectives inform decision-making processes.
At Fire on the Hill, we are proud to work with the Intergenerational Foundation, a UK charity that champions fairness between generations and drives vital research and policy change.
Global Intergenerational Week is a great reminder that organisations which actively connect generations will not only be more inclusive, but also better equipped to navigate change and build long-term resilience.
