Writing for life

“Working it” column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 07/01/2008

Are you happy at work? If not, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone – and that you don’t necessarily have to stay there. Last year in Ireland a staggering 340,000 people left their jobs. The figure comes from the latest worker mobility report from the Small Firms Association’s, which shows that Ireland’s workers were feeling particularly footloose in 2007.

The reasons for this mass migration of employees? For some 102,000 disgruntled employees the catalyst to finally leaving their jobs was the fact that they didn’t get on with the people they worked with. Another 85,000 felt that their contribution to the company wasn’t adequately valued and rewarded, while lack of advancement prompted a further 68,000 to abandon ship.

Salary came in surprisingly low on the list, with just 47,600 people citing money as the main driver for changing jobs. Finally 17,000 people left their jobs because they were simply bored with them and 20,400 employees left for “other reasons”.

In a soundbite-laden press release from the SFA, perhaps the most memorable snippet came from Director, Patricia Callan, when she noted that “people leave people, not jobs”. Isn’t it uncanny how you can distil the actions of 340,000 people into five little words?

Glib soundbite or not, Ms Callan has a point. According to her organisation’s survey more than 85% of the people who left their jobs in Ireland last year did so for reasons other than salary. That survey joins a growing body of empirical and anecdotal evidence that confirms we’re thinking about much more than just money when it comes to evaluating the companies we work for, and whether or not it’s time for a change.

Sure, getting the average market rate – or perhaps a bit more than the average market rate, given that you’re an above average candidate – obviously factors strongly in any assessment of your employment prospects. But when push comes to shove, that outstanding salary and benefits package you’ve managed to negotiate has absolutely no bearing on your day-to-day job satisfaction and happiness at work. That’s more about the environment you find yourself working in, and the people working with you and around you: your colleagues, supervisors and managers.

People dictate the culture that prevails in any organisation – and it’s the organisational culture, ultimately, that defines your working environment. Employers need to pay close attention to their organisational culture, and make sure they’re addressing the evolving needs of their employees if they want to retain the best of them.

The length and breadth of the country Ireland’s employees are voting with their feet, heading for pastures new in their droves. In many cases the exodus is fuelled by employer indifference, or a dated belief that high salaries will ensure staff retention. That might work for a while, but in the modern workplace ensuring that employees are happy and feel valued at work has become much more important.