One in four employees plans to leave their employer after COVID

  • Post published:18/03/2021
  • Reading time:4 mins read

SurveyThe January 2021 study of more than 14,000 people globally was conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV).

If you are a leader, Managing Director, C-Suite, or in HR… this is a must-read piece of organizational advice.

The conclusion

One in four employees plans to leave their employer after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

My NPAworldwide colleague Liz Carey writes in her article about the IBV Research Brief. Read it here.

And you can download the very interesting IBV report from the link in Liz’ article (What employees expect in 2021 – Engaging talent in the shadow of COVID).

Among many other great things to read is Tips to Employers; starts with these three bullet points – but download the report and get the full advice:

1. Proactively engage with employees to better understand what is really important to them and their careers.

2. Foster a culture of perpetual learning that rewards continual skills growth.

3. Don’t take people for granted.

The main reasons to leave current employment were, for most of the surveyed employees, the need for a more flexible work schedule or location, as well as increased benefits and support for their well-being.

Other findings from the IBV survey

  • 1 in 4 surveyed employees indicated they plan to switch occupations in 2021 – more than 60% of this group had already changed employers in January.
  • 1 in 5 employees voluntarily changed employers in 2020 – Gen Z and Millennials make up the largest portion of this group.

A worryMore than a third of respondents said they and their colleagues have asked their employer for more flexible work arrangements, improved compensation and benefits, and more physical and financial safety and security in the past year.

However – and the but – only about half of employees gave employers high marks on their ability to deliver this.

Employees want this

  • Work-life balance (51%)
  • Career advancement opportunities (43%)
  • Compensation and benefits (41%) *note: only 29% of Gen Z said this was key to their engagement employer ethics and values (41%)
  • Continuous learning opportunities (36%)
  • Organizational stability (34%)

Tom Sorensen

Tom Sorensen is an executive search veteran with over 25 years of experience recruiting in Asia, Europe, and Africa. He has worked in executive search in Thailand since 2003 and is recognized as one of the country’s top recruiters and most profiled headhunters.