What if I were to tell you that unemployment is so low that many employees feel that it is time to search for a better job? What if I were to tell you that because the labor market is now tilted that it favors the employee rather than the employer? Is this not a dream scenario for most professionals? According to a survey from the ADP Research Institute, two of every three workers at mid-sized employers are open to leaving their employer for another job. Here are some reasons why-
- Wages- With the cost of living increasing all around us there is little to keep an employee from scouring the help wanted pages looking for a job with a bit more money. With rents and property costs rising and the costs of food, transportation, and recreation increasing, people have little choice but to look for that higher paying career. However, they do have the other option to work more hours, but that doesn’t always seem like the most desirable path.
- Benefits- The American Health Insurance system is a mess. It can easily cost a family of four to purchase medical insurance the same per month or more than it costs them to buy a house…And Obamacare did little to rectify this problem. In some cases, it made it worse. We may not see a national healthcare system like the UK or Canada possess anytime soon, so Healthcare benefits are a big draw for aging adults and families. Other benefits include sick time, vacation time, and other perks that allow the employee to engage in their career but enjoy their life at home with a little more flexibility and energy. These can be very cheap in the overall scheme of things and will help the employer retain employees.
- Career Paths- Many employees like to see the possibility to climb the ranks in the company in which they have invested their years of service. When companies hire outside the fold, it can often come back to bite them. Sometimes this is necessary due to qualifications and training, but often giving a current employee who knows the company and has shown loyalty over the years can do a much better job with a little investment of mentorship and education.
- Management- One of the most frustrating things at certain jobs are poor managers. These are the type of people that make it a priority to make one’s job more difficult and less enjoyable. I am not saying that managers don’t have a job to do to ensure that things are getting done in a timely and productive manner, but there are those managers who do one of two things which provide a negative work environment for the employee-
- They don’t do their job well- They are not organized, they do not give proper direction, and they do not manage all of the employees under them well; thus they operate a chaotic division that only manages to survive by some thread of hope. It always comes down to the last minute, and certain employees carry most of the burden while others skate by unhindered to their incompetence. Sometimes you even find those managers that have their hangout buddies that they let slide, while those employees who are not, get the hard end of the stick.
- They do their jobs “too well”- In other words, they are such sticklers that they don’t allow for any error and they make the work week a nightmare. No talking, No restroom breaks, No whatever…Everything is a “No” as if they are dealing with children. Rather than working with the employees to produce a productive and desirable environment, they take the 19th Century German approach to industrial factory rules and treat their employees like dogs. [caption id=“attachment_10996” align=“alignnone” width=“760”]
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