Study Even your satisfied employees may be looking to leave

Study Even your satisfied employees may be looking to leave Study: Even your satisfied employees may be looking to leave An 11-year marketing veteran of a fast-growing technology company, Ron has a great job. He gets to travel, works with great people, and gets stock options as well as a competitive salary. However, even though hes employed, hes looking. He invested in his own laptop for his job search, hired a job coach trainer and started taking interviews. Most importantly, he started networking in the community, researched his market value and brushed up on his job search skills. Yes, hes still with his current company but it might be his old company soon. Whats driving Ron to go on the job hunt? His managers are just so-so, there is no promotion on the horizon, hes been in the same role for three years, and he doesnt see career growth in the near future. His overall impression of his own career is meh. Rising trend By now youve all heard the news that, according to a recent Gallup poll, employee engagement is a whopping low of 31.5 percent. In 2014, about half of employees said they were not engaged and 17.5 percent were actively disengaged. The news gets worse with a new survey, Jobvites annual Nation Jobseeker Study, a comprehensive report that provides insight on the tools people use to job hunt, the characteristics of different types of workers and whether job hunters are more or less confident this year than last. The study also reveals some interesting insight into mobile use and how jobseekers are leveraging devices in their job search and application processes. The biggest and most surprising finding is around employee loyalty and workers willingness to jump ship for better opportunities: 45 percent surveyed are satisfied with a current job but are open to a new job. Eye-opening stats Other results of Jobvites study include: Reflecting on the past year, 60 percent of job seekers are equally or more optimistic about job opportunities, up significantly from 45 percent in 2013. Job seekers are surfing the wave of career opportunities. Technology has the highest short-term turnover, but no industry is exempt. Fifty percent of employed job seekers see a current position as a placeholder, 28 percent view a current position as a stepping-stone, and another 22 percent view it as entry-level. These are indicators that people see their jobs as growth experiences rather than an endgame. Money is still the most influential factor both in deciding to leave a job and in choosing a new one. While money was ranked highest, location and work/life balance came in at the second and third spot respectively, for both men and women. Heres a way to sum it all up: Minimal pay and lack of growth make leaving a job inevitable. While I wouldnt say that job seekers are in the drivers seat, they are getting more comfortable with leaving a company for a better overall opportunity. After you read Jobvites data, ask yourself: What am I doing to keep and motivate my best employees?