Great Flirtation: Why employees are casually job hunting and what employers can do about it
Employees don’t have to be actively looking for and applying to jobs anymore. Whether it’s a recruiter getting in touch with them or a job alert appearing on their phones (and tempting them with an ‘easy apply’ button, LinkedIn and other career-related social media platforms have revolutionized the world of recruitment. So much so that this casual job hunting has resulted in a new buzzword: ‘Great Flirtation’. In this Pacific Prime UK article, we’ll dig deeper into this growing phenomenon and give you an anectdote.
The ‘Great Resignation’ and the ‘Great Flirtation’ are two sides of the same coin
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of employees are quitting their jobs and moving on as they began reevaluating their lives and careers in a phenomenon that is known as the ‘Great Resignation’. As a Guardian article reports, almost one in four UK employees come under this category with those in the manufacturing, construction, tech, and logistics sector being those most confident about job changes.
So why is this happening? Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic created a large number of vacancies that are now being filled so employees have plenty of options. Secondly, employees who have faced heightened burnout caused by the pandemic are also looking elsewhere for roles that are more compatible with their needs, particularly when it comes to work-life balance and employer support.
Employees aren’t waiting to be burnt out
A growing number of employees are not waiting to be burnt out before calling it quits. They are leveraging the hot job market by casually job hunting and swiftly changing jobs to increase their pays and perks, including but not limited to employee benefits like flexible working arrangements.
What’s more, employees are cherry picking the role based on their values and goals. For example, many climate-conscious Gen Z’ers and millennials are prioritising employers that put climate action at the heart of their operations (i.e. by greenifying their employee benefits offerings) and implementing a range of diversity and inclusivity initiatives.
Further reading: Did you know that aligning employee benefits with diversity and inclusivity goals is a growing trend? Learn more about it in our Global Employee Benefits Trends Report 2021.
Reversing the prevailing narrative
For decades, the prevailing narrative has been to stay in one organisation to climb the corporate ladder. As such, many employees avoided switching jobs as often as they may have liked for fear of how it may come across on their CV/resumes and impact their career growth. However, this framework gives all the power to employers. But now, things are slowly changing.
Employees have got a taste of freedom and flexibility during COVID-19’s shift to working from home and are keen to forge their own paths. This change in mentality has resulted in employees being more open to casually job hunting and increasing their bargaining power when it comes to salary, benefits, and flexible working arrangements.
Organisations should appreciate and support employees before it’s too late
All of this is bad news for employers. In a job market that’s increasingly tilted towards employees, it can be difficult to attract and retain stellar candidates – the backbone of any successful organisations. Particularly given the challenges and disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic brought, talented employees can be what makes your organisation innovate and thrive in a post-pandemic world.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Organisations can go above and beyond to show employees that they are appreciated and that their concerns are heard, as well as actively support employees in reasonable ways. Do you have an employee who is struggling with their child caring duties? Ask them whether increased flexibility would help. Or do you spot a promising fresh graduate employee? Promote them before they look for growth elsewhere.
In general, here’s how you can appreciate and support employees.
1. Help employees thrive in their role
Give employees plenty of opportunities to learn and grow in their roles, as well as offer performance feedback and career mentorship. Where it’s deserved, match employee potential and talent with promotions. This will motivate employees to do their best and ensure they don’t stagnate in their roles.
2. Facilitate a good work-life balance
The reason why flexible working arrangements are desired by employees is because they want more freedom in where and when they work, and be able to schedule work to fit around their personal lives and achieve a better work-life balance. For instance, a parent might want a break in the afternoon to pick their kids up from school and continue working well into the evening.
3. Be fair when it comes to remuneration
At the end of the day, employees come to work to earn a living so don’t make them quit before you raise their salary or increase their perks. Be fair when it comes to employee remuneration, and offer competitive employee benefits by researching what other companies in your sector offer and surveying your employees on what they’d like.
Want to offer competitive employee benefits? Get in touch with Pacific Prime UK today.
Whether or not you already offer employee benefits, you’re more than welcome to get in touch with Pacific Prime UK. With over two decades in the global health insurance and employee benefits sectors, we’re well-versed in helping organisations of all sizes and industries design and implement the right employee benefits packages that are in line with their organisational goals. We use a tailored, technology-driven approach to give you maximum value and keep you updated on industry trends.
Arrange a FREE consultation with our corporate team today!
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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