The UK workforce are beginning to rethink their career priorities, fuelling a ‘great Resignation’ in the job market.
This is according to new research from SD Worx, who found that employees are eager to change roles in search of better benefits.
The uncertainty created by the pandemic has created conditions perfect for job switching, as employers revaluate their working conditions.
As many as one in twenty (4.7 per cent) UK workers resigned from their role throughout the pandemic, with increasing economic stability and the opportunity for self-reflection fuelling fresh waves of career changes.
The number one reason for a change in career cited in the UK was salary and benefits, following recent reports of salary surges amid candidate shortages.
As well as this, location and accessibility was the second most popular reason, with commuters clearly having time to consider the way in which travelling to work affects their well-being.
The mass introduction of remote, virtual working has clearly had an impact on employee outlooks, with work atmosphere and flexibility being two reasons indicated as motivators for leaving a role.
Job security was also listed as a factor, suggesting that some of the 5.1 million furloughed have begun to consider how this affects their position, and whether they want to look for something more secure.
The UK had one of the highest Covid-related resignation rates in Europe, only beaten by Germany, at 6 per cent.
As employer concerns about talent retention grow, bosses are looking to improve their flexibility options for people.
In the UK, six out of ten (59 per cent) have now had a positive experience regarding discussions around when and where to work, and nearly two thirds (65.5 per cent) of UK workers have stated they have a positive work-life balance.
Most employees are going to take advantage of these new benefits offered by employers, with more than half (56.9 per cent) of the UK workforce now planning to work frequently from home when possible.
The survey found that this may be due to a wider range of flexible, digital tools at their disposal, with over 50 per cent (56.8 per cent) benefitting from this.
Colette Philp, UK HR Country Lead at SD Worx said:
The easing of pandemic restrictions has opened a massive pressure valve in the job market.
With the ‘Great Resignation’ washing over industries, employers are scrambling to make their roles and organisations more appealing, and offering flexibility is key to ensuring job satisfaction in the current climate.
Employers that don’t offer employees what they need are now in danger of losing ground in the war for talent.
Senior leaders and HR teams will need to redouble efforts to make roles more attractive and competitive if they want to retain and develop their talent benches.
*In order to obtain this data, this survey sampled answers from 5,000 respondents and was conducted in April 2021 across Belgium, France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
Megan McElroy is a second year English Literature student at the University of Warwick. As Editorial Intern for HRreview, her interests include employment law and public policy. In relation to her degree, her favourite areas of study include Small Press Publishing and political poetry.
