Wouldn’t it be wonderful to leap out of bed on Monday morning, eager to get to work instead of spending Sunday night battling the “Sunday scaries” because the thought of returning to work after the weekend is so stressful?
Unfortunately, that’s not the experience for most workers, according to Resume Now’s Career Gridlock Report, a study of 1,000 American workers conducted in February.
Career gridlock refers to the trend where employees feel trapped in their jobs because of financial fears, skills gaps, and uncertainty, even though they would prefer to take on a different role.
In fact, according to the survey, 60% of employees feel this way—potentially more than half of your workforce. Still, despite feeling this way, only 13% have successfully sought a career change, even though 66% believe such a change would boost their happiness.
Keeping Employees On Board and Engaged
It’s not enough to simply keep employees on board—the concept of “quiet quitting” made the rounds recently as employers realized that a growing number of employees continued to work but put forth a minimal amount of effort.
What can help to keep employees motivated and engaged? Respondents point to:
- Higher salary and benefits—57% say the desire for better pay and benefits is one of the top motivators to seek a career change.
- Work-life balance—29% seek better work-life balance as they contemplate a career change.
- Remote work—19% are still drawn to the flexibility that remote work opportunities can provide.
- More satisfaction—17% of respondents say that burnout and dissatisfaction cause them to feel disengaged; an additional 15% are driven by a passion for a new role or industry.
On-the-job training is also a top priority for employees these days.
What Workers Are Looking for From On-the-Job Training
Employees are increasingly turning to their employers for training, preferring employer training over traditional education—56% say they prefer learning new skills through self-teaching or employer-provided training over returning to the classroom.
The lure of formal education is also waning—only 16% say they would go back to school to pursue a degree, while 32% say they’d prefer seeking an online certification, something employers could help them attain.
Disengagement levels continue to be higher than most employers would want to see. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they have an opportunity to proactively play a role in helping to boost employee engagement, keeping them on the job while helping to prepare them for more rewarding roles.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.
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