Possible higher earnings and more interesting tasks are the most important factors inducing people to look for a new job as indicated in a report by the Manpower employment agency. On the other hand, too low earnings and bad management style demotivate employees the most in their current workplace.
According to the “2023 Trend Report. Salaries and the Labour Market”, the main motivator for changing a job is the possibility of obtaining a more attractive salary – this was indicated by 41% of respondents. As noted in the report, the financial motivation is reinforced by the fact that last year, only 38% of respondents received a raise that was not related to promotion. Usually, it was an increase by 5%.
Every fifth employee admitted that they were inclined to change the employer due to the mismatch between their current duties and their expectations and interests. This proves how important the desire for professional development is – noted Katarzyna Pączkowska, Director of Permanent Recruitment at Manpower. “On the one hand, these will be new, interesting projects or work with the latest technologies and on the other, opportunities for promotion and climbing the career ladder. What is more, development builds employee loyalty even more than finances. Possibility of participating in training or joining a new project is perceived as a benefit. Advanced training, which is divided in time, moves away the motivation to change the organisation and increases employee satisfaction. And the sense of satisfaction makes employees less open to the labour market“, noted the expert.
13% of respondents said that a bad atmosphere in the team motivates them to change their job. Having a choice of maximum three answers, the respondents also indicated professional burnout (12%) and the lack of remote or hybrid work (11%). According to the survey, 14% of respondents have the option of working fully remotely in the current workplace, 23% work in hybrid mode and more than half (54%) perform their duties in the office.
The least frequently listed reasons for changing a job are a bad relationship with the line manager (7%) and working overtime (5%).
When asked about demotivating factors in the current workplace, respondents indicated primarily too low earnings (44%), inappropriate and incompetent management style by the line manager (35%) and unused skills and talents of team members (30%). One in four respondents is also demotivated by the unequal treatment of employees (27%) as well as the lack of challenges and routine (27%).
The results of the survey also show that an employee who has already decided to leave will usually not be stopped by a counteroffer made by the current employer. Only one in four respondents (24%) would decide to accept a counteroffer, 76% of respondents declare that they would choose a new job. In
a situation where both proposals are at a similar financial level, the following factors are decisive for the employee: the possibility of further professional development (40%), the location of the workplace (31%) and the possibility of remote or hybrid work (26%). The person of a potential new line manager (16%) as well as the stability and prestige of a company (15%) will also be important.
When asked about the most important non-wage benefits, the respondents most often mentioned private medical care (59%) as well as the training and development offer (50%). Less important, according to the respondents, are sport cards (28%), life insurance (27%), allowance for language courses and a company car (26% each). At the end of the list were psychological support (3%), integration meetings (5%) and an attractive office (6%).
The data comes from the survey conducted in December 2022 on a group of 645 white collar workers. The group of respondents consisted of 344 specialists, 197 directors or managers and 104 assistants.
