The founder and CEO of temporary jobs specialist RedWigWam speaks out, as new research reveals the number of UK workers looking to leave their job rose by 13% in a year, with work-life balance named as one of the most important job attributes.
According to a recent study, it was found that 23% of employees expressed a low intent to stay with their current employer, this is 10% higher than the current global average and a 13% increase compared to last year. Work-life balance, job location and stability were ranked as the top reasons when considering an employer.
In another survey, conducted by Liberty Mind, it was found that a huge 87% of employees have thought about changing jobs due to the lack of flexible working options available at their workplace.**
Lorna Davidson, CEO of short-term recruitment agency RedWigWam, says:
“Although workers who have been continuously employed for 26 weeks are entitled to request flexible working, many companies are unprepared for these requests, which in turn, can leave staff feeling stuck in a working pattern which doesn’t fit their lifestyle. This results in staff feeling guilty for taking time off, with some even missing out on major life events”.
The lack of flexible working options is also having an everyday effect on parents wellbeing – a recent report from AXA Business Insurance found that 20% of new business in the UK have been started by parents wanting to fit work hours around school runs. With the study also noting that trying to fit the school run in around work was heightening parents stress levels.
Lorna comments:
“Isn’t it time we waved goodbye to the 9-5 culture and embraced flexibility in the workplace? There’s already so much pressure on parents to maintain a work-life balance, employers have a responsibility to offer and encourage flexible working options.
“Not being able to support requests to work flexibly could result in unhappy workers, looking for jobs elsewhere or becoming self-employed.
“At RedWigWam we have a community of 72,000 workers. We provide them with all the benefits of being fully employed – such as National Insurance and tax paid at source, pension contributions and holiday pay – with all the benefits of doing flexible work, regardless of how many hours they work.
“We also encourage all the hirers we work with to embrace flexibility.”
To find out more, visit: www.redwigwam.com