Research from Gartner suggests a high number of UK employees are looking to change jobs in light of optimistic perceptions of business conditions. The latest Global Talent Monitor report for 2Q18 shows that 18.8 per cent of UK employees indicated a very low intent to stay in their current role, the second highest after India (40 per cent), and higher than the global average of nearly 12 per cent.
This is the first time since Brexit that workers reported having an optimistic outlook on the job market, and their own career growth. Nearly 40 per cent of UK employees reported somewhat high to high confidence in the economy. When it comes to their personal prospects, employee perceptions have risen steadily over the last year and have increased nearly four per cent. In fact, job opportunity perceptions in the UK are nearly 1.5 points higher than the global average.
“The first year post-Brexit created a lot of uncertainty for employees, but as actions become more formalised, workers feel that the worst may be behind them,” said Brian Kropp, group vice president of Gartner’s HR practice.
While UK workers may be less inclined to stay in their current jobs, they are putting in more effort at work. Nearly 13 per cent of employees reported a high willingness to go above and beyond in their role, and an additional 43.8 per cent leaned towards high.
For those workers who are looking for new roles, nearly half have ranked work-life balance as their highest priority, followed by location (38.4 per cent) and stability (30.5 per cent). This is a change from previous quarters when employees cited vacation, camaraderie and product or service quality as their key priorities.
In order to capitalise on the current willingness of employees to consider new jobs, organisations must ensure they have a strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that differentiates them from the competition and speaks to what employees want most, in this case work-life balance, location and stability. Engaging employees on the attributes that they prioritise can generate big dividends – Gartner data shows that organisations with high levels of employee engagement report financial outcomes three times higher than firms with lower engagement levels.
“In today’s world, talent is a key differentiator of the organisations that succeed and those that don’t. Companies must retain their top performers while attracting new talent,” Mr. Kropp said. “Given that work-life balance is an important factor for British workers, businesses looking to attract new talent should actively promote how they enable employees to achieve work-life balance via options such as flexible working hours, telecommuting, or the use of new technology.”
