Changes
This week the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported that the main reason for workers changing their employer was due the need for higher wages and better benefits. This is compared to the same poll last year in which job satisfaction was the key reason for workers wanting to change employers.
So what has changed? Employees are finding that pay freezes implemented during the darkest days of the recession are now meaning that they are struggling to keep up with inflation and thus looking for work elsewhere, and those who are unable to find work elsewhere are reporting greater levels of stress at work and are feeling less satisfied with their jobs.
Therefore surely it must be in the interest of employers to support their employees by ensuring they have the life skills needed to deal with the issues surrounding their work life? Perhaps by giving managers the training, tools and coaching needed to understand and aid not just themselves but all workers within an organization they would find increased levels of job satisfaction and levels of work related stress reduced which in turn would surely increase motivation and productivity?
It would be interesting to hear other peoples thoughts on this issue.
Whilst I agree that employers have a duty of care, there is also a personal responsibility for all employees to identify their personal development needs and contribute to a personal development plan by truthfully sharing their concerns and producing a cost benefit analysis to influence their employers to develop them. This forms the basis of a psychological contract which is 2 way. The continual search for higher salaries is limiting as higher salaries = higher cost base= inflated prices. The real challenge is to find innovative ways to have the life and job you want within the system as we know it!!!