Fifth of undervalued and disengaged staff plan to move jobs this year

One of the most over used phrases of last year has got to be ’employee engagement’, with a mountain of research, blogs and features devoted to ways employers could and should enhance their relationship with employees. But those managers who question the validity of the arguments for addressing employee engagement should consider this; admittedly yet another survey, but one published by the respected Institute of Leadership & Management. According to its study of more than 1,000 workers, almost one in five (19%) of UK workers plan to leave their jobs this year. The reason? Almost one fifth (16%) of the people aiming to leave their job said they were moving on because they do not feel valued by their current organisation.

The survey also reveals that almost 80 per cent of those planning to leave their jobs hope to work for a different company, but the vast majority would like a similar (40%) or a different role at a new company, while one in ten would like to start their own business.

Charles Elvin, Chief Executive of the Institute of Leadership & Management, said: “The New Year is always a popular time for workers to look ahead and think about how they can progress. Our findings show that UK employees are beginning to reassess the job market and look into a range of new opportunities, from starting a new job to developing a new business.”

He added: “The survey illustrates just how crucial it is that workers feel valued in the workplace. As many workers like to make a change at this time of year, it is important that organisations adapt to this phase by offering the chance to learn new skills and opportunities to progress wherever possible.”

The findings also revealed a clear desire to improve the standards of leadership in organisations, with almost one fifth of UK workers (19%) hoping to improve their own leadership skills this year and 17 per cent hoping for more transparent leadership from their boss.