Time of year when quality workers look for a better job
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — As 2023 draws to a close, human resource experts say this is the time of year when many employees reevaluate their job status.
KDKA-TV money editor Jon Delano takes a closer look at what motivates top employees to move and what good bosses do to keep them.
It may seem surprising during the holidays, but January turns out to be the busiest month of the year for hiring, and Americans today are more willing than ever to quit a bad job in search of something better.
"We're experiencing still record levels of job turnover in the labor market. Last year, we had 50 million Americans who voluntarily quit their jobs and went looking for an upgrade," Joe Mull, a human resource expert said.
Mull, a Pittsburgh-based human resource expert who speaks around the nation and is the author of "Employalty," says this is the time of year many workers ask a simple question.
"We see a lot of folks who around this time of year start going, do I need to make a change in the year ahead?" Mull said.
Mull says most employees want a dream job, which he says has three key factors:
- 1. Ideal job: decent compensation, manageable workload, job flexibility
- 2. Meaningful work: purpose, aligns with strengths and a sense of belonging
- 3. Great boss: Grants and earns trust, coaches employees, acts as an advocate
Some factors are more important than others, but Mull says it all comes back to quality of life.
"When you ask people, why did you make a switch, almost every answer we get back comes back to quality of life," Mull said. "And this is being driven over many years by seeing burnout increase in the workplace, by having a number of roles and people in the workforce who have consistently been underpaid for a long period of time. So, their reasons for looking for that upgrade typically come back to this idea of improving their quality of life."
Of course, some quality employees might stay put, so KDKA-TV asked Mull what a good boss does to keep good employees from leaving.
"People generally do a great job when they believe they have a great job," Mull said. "So, if I'm the kind of leader who wants to create the environment that people join and stay in and that they consistently care and try about their work, I'm trying to engineer those very conditions that we just listed."
With lots of job possibilities, finding the dream job can still be challenging. Mull says job seekers should use all forms of social media and reach out to mentors and contacts in their profession. Once again, January is a key month for hiring.