- Business leaders must begin to think like marketers by surprising and delighting employees
- Most US workers are looking for a better work-life balance, while over 30% have left, or were considering leaving due to mental health issues
4 May, 2022 – New York, US – As the ‘Great Resignation’ continues to bite, research by Hall & Partners, part of Omnicom’s Brand Consulting Group, reveals that 58% of US workers said they had left, or had considered leaving their job in the last 12 months. Reasons given included: to look for a better paid job (62%), to improve their work/life balance (59%) seeking a career change (24%).
A significant number of workers also said they had left their job, or had thought about doing so, due to suffering mental health issues (31%), while others have considered leaving to seek a more ethical employer (18%).
With reports of almost 3% of the US workforce quitting their job last October, and CNN reporting that 4.4 million Americans left their job in February 2022, business leaders are now prioritising employee experience (EX).
Workers are considering their options and thinking more carefully about their careers following the pandemic pandemonium, which first provided the impetus for droves of people to leave their jobs or consider switching careers.
Commenting on the research, James Gambles, Director, Global Marketing & Communications at Hall & Partners said: “The great resignation trend is continuing to sweep across the US and spread throughout the world. The pandemic ignited and accelerated the trend in remote working practices, with businesses forced to offer flexible, hybrid options to staff who were told to stay at home during lockdown restrictions.
“While some people may have been considering leaving their job before the pandemic hit, staff decided to stay to maintain economic security. However, as the job market recovers, many people have regained their confidence and are resigning, or have at least thought about it, for several different reasons. Consequently, business leaders are now having to think like marketers by surprising and delighting employees to attract new hires and retain existing staff.
“While businesses and brands have previously focussed on delivering exceptional customer experience (CX), the priority may need to switch towards employee experience (EX) and finding ways to keep staff motivated and happy.”
While thinking about their careers, US workers were also asked what they would like their employers to prioritise most to keep them happy and satisfied at work. In order of importance, staff called for:
- Better flexible working arrangements with remote or hybrid options available
- Better promotion prospects
- Improvements in diversity and inclusion in the workplace
- To provide work that was more challenging so they didn’t stagnate and become bored
- More training courses
