More than 8 in 10 employees planning on finding new job in 2012: Survey

Identifying high potentials, having career discussions can help with retention

More than eight in 10 employees (84 per cent) are planning on searching for new employment in 2012, according to a survey of more than 1,000 employees in Canada and the United States by Right Management.

Only five per cent said they intend to remain in their current position.

“The survey findings reflect a lot of employee dissatisfaction across North America,” said Bram Lowsky, executive vice-president at Right Management. “Employees are restless and feel they are lacking in options. The prolonged period of economic uncertainty has meant much less job mobility than usual, and employees understandably believe they have fewer career opportunities, either internally or via a new position.”

The findings serve as a barometer of worker distrust in management as well as job commitment, he said.

“It’s a workplace equivalent to whether or not the country is moving in the right direction,” said Lowsky. “Sometimes called flight cognition by behavioral psychologists, intent to leave is far from an unusual phenomenon but when it applies to four out of five employees for two years running it has to be of top concern to senior management.”

Addressing the distrust may certainly be difficult in a down economy, but senior management need to show they’re up to the challenge of renewed growth and developing a sound strategy moving forward, he said.

Management should identify star performers and have constructive career discussions with them.

“These kinds of people always have career options. It’s your job to know who they are, to let them know you know who they are and to tune in to their individual motivators in order to hold onto them,” said Lowsky.

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