January is statistically the most popular month for looking for a new job according to a study by Glassdoor. After settling back into a routine in their current position, candidates begin to get bored and seek new opportunities elsewhere. Nine out of ten of Monster.com’s busiest days for job applications last year were during January – so when there is so much competition, it’s difficult to stand out!
Being able to anticipate the reasons that your staff may want to leave is crucial to staff retention. We’ve outlined the key reasons for staff unhappiness, according to Glassdoor, and given some potential ways to resolve them!
Low Salary
A low pay packet was listed as the number one reason employees were unhappy at work. This may be a hard and fast issue in your company or you may have some flexibility to increase their basic salary. A solution that could offer a win/win on both sides could be adding a commission structure to their package, meaning that as the company earns, they earn too. If there is no additional budget for their salary, other offers could entice them to stay. An extra days holiday a year or flexible working time are free solutions that may increase their happiness. Ultimately, you have to decide how valuable the staff member is and if you are prepared to lose them over a salary based problem.
Needing A New Challenge
A quarter of respondents to the Glassdoor survey listed ‘needing a new challenge’ as the reason they want to move on. In most roles there is flexibility for new projects or new opportunities for growth and learning. Take the time to sit down with your employees and find out their goals for the upcoming year and evaluate where in the business they are able to meet their goals. Having a plan in place will reassure employees and show your continued investment in their career.
Negative Relationships
In the 16-24 year old category, negative relationships between colleagues and line managers was one of the highest listed reasons for wanting to leave. If your staff feel tension working with their colleagues this can lead to anxiety about coming to work and will ultimately effect their performance. Having team building days may seem counterproductive but will soon boost team moral. These don’t have to be commercial team building sessions, going for celebratory lunches for good results or a beer after work on a Friday could begin to increase office moral.
Commute
20% of respondents said that their commute was a contributing factor to their unhappiness at work. This was mostly the case in older respondents as they prioritise seeing family members over career progression. Flexible working may be able to help with this, as being able to start later + finish earlier, or having days working from home may decrease their time traveling and therefore resolve large parts of their issues.
Hannah Ryle – Employer Brand Consultant
