According to the latest research from Salary.com, 83% of people polled said they are planning to look for a different job this year. At the same time, only 46% said they were unhappy in their jobs. So what’s up – people are “happy” but still looking for a different job. And it not just about making more money. Only 16% are looking for higher pay.
Here, from the New York Time’s article – Why You Hate Your Work – are the 4 things employees are looking for:
- Engagement– defined as involvement, passion, enthusiasm and an opportunity for focused effort and energy.
- Renewal– Employees who are allowed to take a break every 90 minutes report a 50% greater capacity to think creatively and a 46% higher level of health and well-being.
- Focus– People don’t like interruptions. Only 20% of the respondents said they were able to focus on one task at a time at work.
- Purpose– Employees who derive “meaning and significance” from their work are more than 3 times as likely to stay with that organization. This variable has the highest single impact of any of the four factors.
The question I have then is how realistic is it to expect all 4 of these from any employer? Could you expect this at Subway, Burger King, General Motors, Apple, Google or Costco? How is the company you work for doing on these 4 factors? If you are an employer, how much beyond a paycheck can you be expected to provide?
Henry Ford once reportedly said, “Why is it every time I ask for a pair of hands, they come with a brain attached?” He lamented the fact that he had to deal with a whole person. I talk to employers who are bending over backward to keep their people, but feel like the expectations are impossible to meet. And with most of us now being “knowledge workers” we can easily move, taking our talents with us.
If you’re one of the thousands looking for different work, what are you hoping to find in the ideal position?
