BLAIR FROM C1

People who left their job for more money

In the most recent survey I’ve seen, 80 percent of people who left their job for more money regret it and wish that they hadn’t left. Ouch.

My advice is that you give a lot of thought before you quit a job you like to jump to a “better” job that offers more money, but not enough security. Making that move may not be worth it.

If you do happen to get laid off, now is a perfect time to look at all your options while it’s still an employee’s market. The competition for talent is still fierce.

But we’re beginning to see signs of that leveling off, and we’re aware that the balance of power won’t last forever. Nothing drastic yet, but certainly cooling off from an overheated hiring market.

Be thinking where you want to be in the next few months and get settled in. By many indicators, an economic slowdown appears to be inevitable. But no one knows how much of a slowdown that might be, or when it might occur.

While employees are sitting at a desk

We’ve talked about the potential for a four-day week, with the same compensation as employees have for a five-day work week.

In the U.S., it’s still mostly talk.

We may see it begin to creep up at small firms, especially creative ones, because great ideas don’t necessarily come while employees are sitting at a desk.

We’re also seeing a stronger emphasis by employees that value a worklife balance with more flexibility. Employees are looking for companies that value their “whole selves” and realize work is just one aspect of their lives.

Letting go of the five-day, 8-to-5 workweek has become the norm by more enlightened employers.

They know that the labor shortage is here to stay long-term, and that turnover is very painful and costly. Thus, there’s much more emphasis on the retention of good employees.

The key to retention is not only doling out bigger compensation packages, but also how much employers step up to help employees achieve a better worklife balance.

The interesting part of this discussion is that we’re seeing it from the top down. Those in senior management roles are becoming more aware of their own work-life balance and, perhaps for the first time, this realization has been filtering down through the ranks.

For that, I firmly believe we should thank the everincreasing influence of women, and working mothers, into management ranks.

It’s a win for everyone.

Blair is co-founder of Manpower Staffing and author of “Job Won.” pblair@manpowersd.com