Think twice before you change jobs



It is difficult for firms to keep all of their employees satisfied throughout business cycles, and the recent downturn was no exception, says James Nicholson, managing director of recruitment firm Robert Walters. He expects to see movement among employees who became disengaged during that time, as market confidence rises.

Nicholson says the global financial crisis was a shock to many organisations that struggled to survive the downturn. And while they implemented strategies to see them through tough times, many neglected to properly communicate with staff.

“From a corporate perspective the consistency of communication is key. Employees have a right to know what is going on in uncertain times, and whether it is positive or negative news,” says Nicholson.

A recent Robert Walters Employee Insight survey of almost 500 professionals revealed that nationally, only 37 per cent of employees admired the actions of their employer throughout the GFC. Eighteen per cent did not approve of the way their employer dealt with the GFC, with one-third of this group becoming disengaged.

Only 32 per cent of baby boomers admired the way their employer handled the downturn against 40 per cent of gen-Ys. Nicholson says baby boomers were more cynical about how their employers handled the downturn because they have been through recessions before.

“They’re older and probably have family to support and have a more rapid need to find work should that work be taken away from them.”

Nicholson says it is harder for baby boomers to re-enter the workforce after they have been made redundant.

“Employers tend to rehire young people when they are trying to regenerate the workforce — they rarely go back to the people they let go of. They don’t necessarily favour gen Y, but take people a bit further down the ladder… who are aggressively climbing it.”

Nicholson explains candidates who felt they were treated poorly during the GFC are now using it as a reason to be “looking for other opportunities out there”.

The first six months of this year saw a lot of candidates talking to other organisations with the intention of changing jobs, says Nicholson. But he cautions candidates to do their research before they jump ship, as the employment market isn’t as strong as it is made out to be.

“There is an assumption that employment is on the up and everyone is getting a lot of offers. Actually, inherently by definition, it’s the top 20 per cent who will get multiple offers and who are also probably the happiest and best looked after by their current employer.
 
Everyone tends to chase this same part of the candidate population. There are also a lot of people trying to get back into the workforce who lost positions before the GFC, but who aren’t finding it as easy due to either their profile or skills.”

Candidates may need to upskill to make themselves more competitive, but they also need to be realistic about the strength of the employment market, says Nicholson. There was a lot of confidence in the first half of this year, with companies rehiring as they rebuilt their businesses, but they are now assessing how much room for growth there is.

“I think people are still a bit tentative on that,” he says.

Nicholson advises candidates to consider their options carefully when comparing companies, because there could be a dip down the line.

“People might have moved from one shaky table to another. There is a possibility, hopefully remote, of another downturn. Australia is not isolated in that respect,” he says.

Article from The Australian, July, 2010.