NBC recently released an article examining the high percentage of employees who, after 15 months of COVID-19, are considering changing not only their jobs but, in many cases, their entire careers.
Here are some high-level data points from the article:
- A new poll from job platform Monster.com found that 95 percent of workers are thinking about finding a new job, and 92 percent would consider switching industries for a new position.
- Two-thirds of respondents believe there are job opportunities right now.
- A survey of employees by consulting firm Gartner found that 55 percent reported experiencing significant burnout over the last 15 months.
- According to Microsoft's Work Trend Index, 41 percent of workers worldwide say they are likely to consider switching jobs within the next year, and 46 percent say they plan to change careers entirely.
Add to this the fact that we’re in one of the tightest labor markets in over ten years, especially for technology employees.
Surprise!
Last but not least, we just finished an employee survey for a financial services firm in New York City and learned something that even surprised us.
The firm was losing call center employees faster than they could replace them, and it cost $7 million per year in turnover costs. With all the effort placed on navigating COVID, onboarding new employees and making investments in training, the most important insight to help reduce their turnover costs came from a process the management team thought they were already doing well. This insight came from one-to-one conversations with our team — a person employees felt comfortable talking to.
We learned that no matter how well companies think they communicate, employees disagree with leadership regarding their communication effectiveness. That's not what surprised us. What surprised us is that in today's workplace, employees aren't telling their employer how they feel or what they can do differently; they're just leaving.
What’s taking place in the hearts and minds of your employees or your clients’ employees today? Undoubtedly clients use an employee survey, but what are they learning from qualitative one-to-one conversations with an outside expert that might improve their operations in the second half of 2021? From my perspective, after COVID, one-to-one conversations hold powerful insights not available from electronic surveys.
Where is your business headed?
|
About the Author
Hugh Blane is the president of Claris Consulting and the go-to expert for converting human potential into accelerated business results. His work centers on helping executives and entrepreneurs challenge assumptions, jettison complacency and catapult growth.
Hugh is the author of "7 Principles of Transformational Leadership: Create A Mindset of Passion, Innovation and Growth" and his clients include Sony Pictures, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Pepperdine University, KPMG and Costco. He publishes a top blog on leadership and mindset at clarisconsulting.net and is an in-demand speaker.