Employee exit plans on the rise as a quarter look to leave current role, study finds

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Research highlights that there is significant dissatisfaction with current work and wariness over AI

by Dan Cave 23 June 2023

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Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the UK workforce is expected to change jobs in the next 12 months, with a fifth (21 per cent) saying they are not satisfied in their current role, new research has found.

The 2023 PwC Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of 53,912 employees across 46 countries, including more than 2,000 in the UK, discovered that the inclination to switch jobs has increased five percentage points this year, up from 18 per cent in 2022.

A fifth (21 per cent) of respondents to the PwC report also said they felt their employer would not allow them to apply skills that are important to their career, while over a third (34 per cent) said they were planning to ask for a pay rise in the next 12 months.

Combined with high employment levels and high levels of long-term sickness, as shown by the latest latest ONS figures , Kim Holdroyd, HR and wellbeing manager at Cezanne HR, said HR teams need to use knowledge of labour market difficulties and employee dissatisfaction to drive a focus on “delivering an employment experience employees won’t want to leave”.

To do this, HR should focus on delivering better career development and engaging with staff to understand what they want via surveys, she said.

“The employers who do this often enjoy better rates of retention, productivity and even advocacy,” Holdroyd added.

In addition, Sarah Moore, head of people and organisation at PwC UK, explained that on a backdrop of economic uncertainty businesses will have to get creative about how they try and manage staff dissatisfaction.

“Employers will have less means to respond through pay but organisations who continue to prioritise their people and invest in programmes focussed on wellbeing, flexible working, career progression and more personalised benefits will reap the rewards of employee loyalty,” she said.

Not only did PwC’s study find that a significant number of UK employees are looking for the exit, but it also highlighted that many are unenthusiastic about the introduction of AI into the workplace.

Only 19 per cent believe that AI will increase their productivity (versus 31 per cent globally) and only 17 per cent believe this technology will create opportunities for them to learn new skills (versus 27 per cent globally).

Many workers are also unaware or doubtful of how will impact their jobs going forward: PwC figures show that around a third (32 per cent) don’t believe AI will impact their job within the next five years with nearly half (47 per cent) oblivious to any changes it may bring.

As such, there appears to be a disconnect between the workforce and HR when it comes to AI.

A recent study from YOHO Workplace Strategy found that 99 per cent of UK-based HR managers and directors believe that AI will deliver benefits, including boosting productivity, automating routine tasks, and improving innovation.

And Pavel Bahu, global head of HR at Trevolution Group, previously told People Management that there is a need to get AI-savvy “within the next three years” as the technology was already widespread.

“HR professionals must possess the necessary knowledge to ensure ethical and unbiased AI implementation,” he added.

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Research highlights that there is significant dissatisfaction with current work and wariness over AI. by Dan Cave 23 June 2023. Share article on Twitter. Share article on Facebook. Share article on LinkedIn. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the UK workforce is expected to change jobs in the next 12 months, with a fifth (21 per cent) saying they are not satisfied in their current role, new research has found. The 2023 PwC Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of 53,912 employees across 46 countries, including more than 2,000 in the UK, discovered that the inclination to switch jobs has increased five percentage points this year, up from 18 per cent in 2022. A fifth (21 per cent) of respondents to the PwC report also said they felt their employer would not allow them to apply skills that are important to their career, while over a third (34 per cent) said they were planning to ask for a pay rise in the next 12 months. Combined with high employment levels and high levels of long-term sickness, as shown by the latest latest ONS figures , Kim Holdroyd, HR and wellbeing manager at Cezanne HR, said HR teams need to use knowledge of labour market difficulties and employee dissatisfaction to drive a focus on “delivering an employment experience employees won’t want to leave”. To do this, HR should focus on delivering better career development and engaging with staff to understand what they want via surveys, she said. “The employers who do this often enjoy better rates of retention, productivity and even advocacy,” Holdroyd added. In addition, Sarah Moore, head of people and organisation at PwC UK, explained that on a backdrop of economic uncertainty businesses will have to get creative about how they try and manage staff dissatisfaction. “Employers will have less means to respond through pay but organisations who continue to prioritise their people and invest in programmes focussed on wellbeing, flexible working, career progression and more personalised benefits will reap the rewards of employee loyalty,” she said. Not only did PwC’s study find that a significant number of UK employees are looking for the exit, but it also highlighted that many are unenthusiastic about the introduction of AI into the workplace. Only 19 per cent believe that AI will increase their productivity (versus 31 per cent globally) and only 17 per cent believe this technology will create opportunities for them to learn new skills (versus 27 per cent globally). Many workers are also unaware or doubtful of how will impact their jobs going forward: PwC figures show that around a third (32 per cent) don’t believe AI will impact their job within the next five years with nearly half (47 per cent) oblivious to any changes it may bring. As such, there appears to be a disconnect between the workforce and HR when it comes to AI. A recent study from YOHO Workplace Strategy found that 99 per cent of UK-based HR managers and directors believe that AI will deliver benefits, including boosting productivity, automating routine tasks, and improving innovation. And Pavel Bahu, global head of HR at Trevolution Group, previously told People Management that there is a need to get AI-savvy “within the next three years” as the technology was already widespread. “HR professionals must possess the necessary knowledge to ensure ethical and unbiased AI implementation,” he added. Related Articles. Balancing the books: negotiating pay rises with staff. 20 June 2023 by Cecily Donoghue. With the cost of living crisis biting, how best can employers handle the recent surge in worker demands for wage increases? Cecily Donoghue reports. Is hybrid work good for everyone’s wellbeing? 15 June 2023 by Yoana Cholteeva. With research indicating younger employees are struggling with hybrid arrangements, People Management asks experts what can be done to address the problem. Only a third of firms check if their DC pension scheme is delivering value for money, CIPD research finds. 14 June 2023 by Elizabeth Howlett. Data shows HR teams are ‘simply unaware’ if pensions are being reviewed, as cost of living crisis gives rise to opt outs. More on this Topic. BSI releases new EDI standard to help employers ‘prioritise people’ Upskilling and reskilling the workforce is key to meeting government’s growth ambitions, report suggests. Two thirds of HR professionals think their L&D offering for leaders is inadequate, survey finds. Agency worker who witnessed two sexual assaults without being physically involved was victim of harassment, tribunal rules. Majority of disabled employees have to initiate the process of securing workplace adjustments, survey finds.