Get this: Even workers happy in their jobs are looking to jump ship
It’s becoming clearer and clearer: The workforce is restless.
Latest evidence: Almost half of employees who said they’re happy with their organizations and their jobs are nonetheless looking for greener pastures, according to new research from Mercer.
That’s right: Employees who said they are very satisfied with their organizations and their jobs (45% and 42%, respectively) are looking to leave.
The new survey from Mercer, Inside Employees’ Minds, also found that 37% of all workers — regardless of their satisfaction level — are seriously considering leaving their jobs, up from 33% of the workforce who were considering leaving in 2011.
And why would employees who like their organizations and are satisfied in their job still be thinking about jumping ship?
Mercer offers a reason:
“Simply put, a growing number of employees feel their desires for personal growth and opportunities are outpacing what most companies are providing them,” said Mercer spokesman Patrick Tomlinson. “Employers need to shift their talent strategies to understand the modern terms of engagement from the most productive employees.”
Top people are the itchiest
Your most senior people seem to be the biggest at-risk group: Sixty-three percent – almost two out of three — of senior managers surveyed said they’re seriously considering leaving their current roles. Just 39% of management-level employees and 32% of non-management workers expressed similar feelings.
Opinions vary across age groups
Older workers, who typically face an array of family and financial commitments, say they are less likely to be looking. Only 29% of workers ages 50–64 are seriously considering leaving at the present time.
But it’s a different story with younger generations of workers, particularly Millennials, who bring a “here and now” philosophy to their careers, according to Tomlinson. As a group, they seem to value accelerated career paths and diversity (in the workplace and the work itself) over job security and tenure. Mercer’s new survey reflects these trends, noting that 44% of workers age 18–34 are seriously considering leaving their organization, compared to 37% for the overall U.S. workforce, despite the fact that they are generally more positive about many aspects of work.
The data comes from an online survey of 3,010 U.S. workers, 18+ years old, working full- or part-time at for-profit organizations with 200 or more employees. It was weighted to U.S. Census targets for age, gender, race, education and income.
What now?
How can employers respond to these findings? Here’s Tomlinson again:
“If employers want to remain competitive in today’s market, they need to create a strategic workforce plan — one that aligns to an evolved value proposition — based on the dynamics of this rapidly changing talent landscape,” he said. “The plan must consider both engaged and disengaged workers, who account for about a fifth of the overall workforce, according to our research. Perhaps more than those who leave, this group has the potential to harm morale and productivity. If your employees stay, you want them engaged and productive.
“The future of successful work relationships between employer and employee will depend on the trifecta of health, wealth and career — and how you make them all flexible to reflect the way people want to work today and what they are looking for in the employment relationship.”
