Employers who enable their employees to achieve work-life balance are most likely to be considered ‘great to work for’ according to new research.

The survey, conducted by international recruitment business Robert Walters, asked more than 1,000 professionals which factor would make them regard their place of work as a ‘great employer’.

Almost 40 per cent cited work-life balance as the top reason, followed by 22 per cent saying a transparent career progression. Employer brand and corporate culture ranked third with 15 per cent, followed by benefits and salary package with 14 per cent.

David Chancellor, managing director of commerce and industry recruitment at Robert Walters said: “This survey is further evidence that employees are increasingly regarding quality of life as their chief objective.

“People are prepared to work hard but the trade-off is twofold: they want to enjoy the work they do but they don’t want to feel enslaved to their work. Employers need to be wise to this, because with competition for the top talent at its most intense, they run the risk of losing out if they don’t meet this increasingly key requirement.”