More than half (53%) of UK office workers say they are considering leaving their job, according to a survey from Virgin Media O2 Business, with 28% citing pay as a reason to quit.
The annual Connected working survey, which polled 2,000 UK office workers, looked at the role of technology in shaping the workplace experience for organisations across the UK. It found that other top drivers that caused people to look for a new role were work-life balance (27%) and feeling unhappy with their physical workplace (21%).
Four in ten (44%) of those surveyed said they felt flexibility was as important as pay and salary, with 16% saying the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has made them rethink their working priorities – and 14% were unhappy with how their job has changed as a result.
In addition, one in seven (14%) said would like to delay their resignation to coincide with a new financial year, 12% had been holding out for their 2021 bonus to arrive, and 16% had been waiting for uncertainty around the pandemic to settle down before changing jobs. The survey also revealed that 44% feel more positive about their career prospects now than they did pre-pandemic.
Jo Bertram, managing director at Virgin Media O2 Business, explained that a new financial year, coupled with a new hybrid normal, has created an employee ‘transfer window’ that will see more than half of the UK’s office workers look to change roles in the coming weeks.
“We know that tech can help make many of the changes employees want: from connecting them to training, upskilling and mentor programmes, to giving them more choice about when, how and where they work. When it comes to recruitment and retention, tech is a great enabler. At Virgin Media O2 Business we’re working with our customers to explore exactly how fixed and mobile connectivity and digital workplace tools can build better ways of working for everyone,” she said.