Changing jobs: it’s no longer about the money
Work/ life balance and more family time are looming as increasingly important in 21st- century job choices
here money was once the prime motivator for a move to a new job, the times they are a- changin’. It now appears that everyone from Generation Y to Millennials is moving jobs for a wide variety of other reasons.
A common theme developing is the desire to avoid a long commute. In a recent phone survey by recruitment technology company Talent Propeller, 95 per cent of the 216 respondents said they were not looking to change jobs because of salary. Many were more concerned with finding a workplace closer to home, freeing up time to spend with family.
Managing director Sharon Davies says the desire for greater work/ life balance, which is often facilitated by a handy work location, was the main theme emerging from the study. “That could be bad news for employers concentrated in, for example, CBDs,” she says, “but could equally mean good news for employers prepared to offer remote working tools and flexibility, and for those who trust employees to do their bit from home with occasional visits to the office.”
Jane Kennelly, director of Frog Recruitment, says that while money is an essential factor that can’t be ignored in the recruitment process, she too is noticing proximity to home starting to take precedence over money. “SEEK reports that 77 per cent of searches are now under ‘ location’,” she says.
The Talent Propeller survey found that another key motivator for changing jobs was the desire for more variety. Jason Walker, managing director of Hays NZ, says that one of the new dynamics he he has noticed i s Millennials and Gen Ys moving a lot more frequently for new experiences.
However, it’s his experience that one of the top reasons people move is “feeling undervalued” by their organisation. “That seems to be the number one. If an employee i s feeling undervalued and their job is paying the same as a competitor’s and they hear through the grapevine how wonderful it is to work for the competitor, then they’re going to contemplate go- ing for an interview and seeing if the grass is greener.”
Walker says also that if an employee’s personal values are out of alignment with the company’s values it could be another reason for a move.
A key reason though, which he has seen over many years of recruitment, is bad managers.
“People move if their managers are not well- trained or don’t have the ability to grow or develop staff.”
But when it comes to flexibility, there’s some good news emerging. Dale Gray, partner at Inside Recruitment, i s noticing a change in the receptiveness of employers. “We’ve got employers who’ve got their heads around the need to be more flexible and the need to engage with em- ployees. Previously there was a lot of ‘ We don’t think that will work’ as opposed to ‘ How can we make that work?’ And now they’re saying, ‘ We’re happy for that to happen now.’ ”
Gray says a trend among organisations, with the BNZ being a good example, i s enabling every job to be done on a flexible basis. “If you look at their job ads, every job is flexible unless you can absolutely prove that it can’t be flexible. “And that’s a big change.” Davies says many of the tools allowing the flexibility of working from home are low cost, such as virtual private networks, or free ( Skype). “And many employees already use their own devices — in the workplace or at home — to get their jobs done.”
She says there is a real desire for balance from people in the 30 to 50 age groups, known as Gen Y. “They are not defined by and don’t want to be tied to their employment. Family rules, so they are looking for a great job that complements their personal life.” She adds that Gen Y i s increasingly being joined by the Millennials, who reached young adulthood in the 2000s.
“This group has an entirely different set of expectations from employers which takes the expectation of flexibility and ‘ give and take’ even further. Getting this generation on board and retaining them means employers have to provide the options they find attractive.”
Walker defines the idea of give and take as “work/ life blend”. “You want an employer who’s going to allow you to do certain personal things. If an electrician is coming in to fix a socket, you might want to come in late or leave early to get that done. You don’t want to be watched over. You want to be trusted that you’ll make the time up or do some work from home.
“If companies are too strict around that, people will move.”
Although an employer might think the attractions of flexibility, variety, great perks and a fun work environment could convince people to take a pay cut when moving jobs, Walker says this is unlikely.
“Everyone tends to live up to their means. When we do see those who are willing to take pay cuts, it’s usually for three reasons. The first is transport. They’ve accepted a role closer to home and they’ll take a cut for location. Two, they’ll take a cut if it’s a personal or family crisis. And the third is stress. We’ve seen individuals who have reduced their responsibilities and obligations from a management level to become more of a drone — just going in and doing their job — because of anxiety and stress problems.”
Walker says that in the main people will want to stay at their current salary level. “Most people need that money — they live up to their means and they spend every single dollar and account for every cent.”