Almost a quarter (23%) of UK workers plan to quit their jobs in 2020, with the UK ranking second in the world for employee attrition risk. That’s according to new research from experience management company Qualtrics.
The research, which comes from Qualtrics’ annual Global Employee Experience Trends report, incorporates data from over 13,000 employees across 12 countries.
Qualtrics’ analysis found that workers in the retail sector are at the highest risk of quitting, with 26% saying they plan to leave their jobs in 2020. This was followed by employees in healthcare (20%), telecoms (20%) and travel (20%). Those working in the technology sector pose the lowest attrition risk, with only 14% planning to leave in the next 12 months.
The research identifies five factors that encourage employees to stay in their jobs long term:
- Opportunities for learning and development
- Confidence in senior leadership
- Managers who support career development
- A visible link between personal contribution and the company’s goals
- Managers who are effective at resolving work-related issues
Commenting on these findings, Laura Harding, employee experience consultant at Qualtrics said, “With almost a quarter of the workforce considering leaving their jobs in the next year, it is critical to focus on building engagement to reduce the risk of employees quitting. Given the investment of training new staff — and the wealth of knowledge employees take with them when they leave — this trend could become an issue for UK businesses, impacting productivity of staff and overall business performance.”
“Leaders and managers need to realise that an employee’s experience is just as important as a customer’s experience. Employee expectations are changing faster than ever, but many companies don’t even have basic feedback mechanisms in place. With the combination of experience data and increasingly advanced analysis tools, organizations should implement the right listening tools in place to connect more deeply and personally with their employees.”
