Employers need to ‘up their game’ as 1 in 4 employees admit to looking for a new job

Job seeking intentions are at their highest since spring 2011, as fewer organisations implement recruitment freezes. According to the CIPD/Halogen Employee Outlook survey, 24 per cent of employees in the private and voluntary sectors, and 23 per cent in the public sector, are looking for a new job. The greatest motivator to move jobs is disengagement (71% compared with 9% who are engaged), followed by job dissatisfaction (62%, compared with 10%), and those facing pressure every day (45% compared with 19% who never feel under excessive pressure). More than 3 in 5 (61%) said that an opportunity to progress within their role is important to them, but a shocking one in four employees (27%) said that they had never had a performance review at work.

The CIPD/Halogen Employee Outlook which surveyed nearly 3,000 found that, after years of labour market stagnation, just 24 per cent of employees now report that their organisation has a freeze on recruitment, down from 28 per cent in spring 2013 and 29 per cent in winter 2012.

Claire McCartney, Research Adviser at the CIPD, said: “Talent is on the move again, signalling a decline in fear around job security as the impact of the economic downturn begins to lessen. However, this should also signal a warning to employers to up their game when it comes to retaining key talent – if they aren’t monitoring their employees’ progression and providing opportunities to talk about career development, they may well risk losing some of their most talented workers, who might well vote with their feet and take advantage of a somewhat improved labour market outlook. The private sector is particularly at risk of this, where there has been a steady decline in employees’ job satisfaction.”

“Now more than ever, employers need to focus on ensuring their line managers are equipped with excellent people management skills, so they can play their role in fostering open and transparent cultures where people feel they can make a valued contribution and get recognition for it.”

The survey also tracks employees’ attitudes towards their line managers and senior managers and found that overall attitudes towards line managers remain positive, with 64 per cent of employees strongly satisfied or satisfied with their relationship with their line manager. It also reveals that employees’ work–life balance has seen a slight increase in satisfaction to 58 per cent, compared with 57 per cent in spring 2013.

To read the full findings, download the report from the CIPD website.