More than 50% of employees surveyed in North America plan to look for a new job in 2021
If you have a staffing role in your organization…now would be a good time to hit the panic button.
The big question is why… and why now?
As you may recall, before the pandemic kept workers out of their offices and in their homes, employers were seeing high turnover rates… but the pandemic put a halt to much of that. In fact, ‘quitting rates’ reached their lowest level in nine years during the pandemic. People hunkered down at home and held on to the jobs they had. Now, as Spring flowers are blooming… so are workers aspirations to find a better job.
Expect more job openings as well, according to the Work Institute in Franklin, TN.
According to research from Achievers Workforce Institute (an employee recognition software company in Toronto), of 2000 employed adults surveyed in Feb 2021…
- 52% are looking for a new job… up from 35% a year ago
- 46% feel less connected to their company
- 42% say company culture has diminished in the past year
- Only 21% said they are very engaged at work
Some reasons’ respondents shared for wanting a new job included…
- 35% said better compensation and benefits
- 25% said better life/work balance
- And burnout was also a major factor
While working at home may provide some additional flexibility, apparently wearing sweatpants to work doesn’t equate to a better work/life balance.
The studies showed that employees worry that their manager doubts their at-home productivity… to make up for that doubt, 40% of workers are either starting their workday earlier… or staying at it later, or BOTH… and more than a third are skipping lunch breaks to appear more productive to doubting managers.