Insufficient pay and workload-related burnout are the main reasons that employees want to leave their jobs, a new report has found.
Mercer’s Inside Employee Minds report discovered that two in five (40%) of UK workers are thinking about leaving their current organisation despite financial concerns, with the third factor identified by them being poor relationships with bosses or colleagues.
The study of more than 2,000 people by the global consultancy also revealed that employees who are fully remote are more likely to contemplate leaving, with nearly half (47%) saying they are compared to 40% of total respondents. This is highest in the hospitality and retail sectors at 50%, and among those who are paid hourly at 46%.
Katerina Psychopaida, Mercer partner and employee experience leader for Europe, said: “Our Inside Employee Minds report shows the extent to which the world has changed for workers and their priorities following the pandemic and amid a challenging economic climate. We are seeing a shift away from traditional outlooks on work, towards a greater emphasis on one’s physical and mental health.”
More than half of those surveyed claim they feel exhausted on a typical day at work, with younger staff aged 18-24 years old feeling the most exhausted (75%), chaotic (62%) and overwhelmed (56%).
Psychopaida added: “As a great number of young employees say they feel overwhelmed and more than half of employees feel exhausted, UK workers are seeking a sustainable approach to work which includes a better work-life balance.
“Organisations returning to pre-pandemic practices risk losing their staff, if they do not embrace a new contract with employees that better supports sustainable health experiences at work.”
