The new year is well underway, marking the perfect time for fresh starts, new year resolutions and a general time for change. This time last year, UK employees had seen the return to the office commence, with many individuals choosing to job-hop for better opportunities and flexibility. Now, 12 months later we see ‘the great regret’. For those who uprooted and moved on in 2023, regret is setting in as they search for a job that meets their needs, wishing they hadn’t moved in the first place.
‘Career committing’ is the newest trend to sweep the business landscape. The phenomenon identified in new LinkedIn research found that 56% of 2,038 UK workers surveyed had made positive changes at work in response to the current economic climate.
So are UK office workers looking to move again due to reactive decision-making back in 2023? Are those who didn’t move happy in their role? We quizzed over 1,000 UK office workers to find out how employees really feel about the changing landscape and if being a loyal employee reaps more benefits than finding work elsewhere.
Employee Loyalty Is In
We asked survey respondents how long they have been in their current job. A huge quarter of respondents shared that they have been in their current job between 1-3 years.
With fewer people moving jobs with the aim of committing to their current careers, less than 14% of respondents have been in their jobs for less than a year.
16% of respondents have been in their role for 3-5 years with 11% having been in their role for more than 10 years.
A surprising 17% shared that they have been in their role for more than 20 years!
Is Job Hopping a Generation Thing?
Our survey results showed that half of respondents who had been in their current role for 6 months were aged 18-24. Whether they’re looking around for roles to suit their specific needs like working from home or just entering the workplace, it seems that Gen Z aren’t afraid of moving.
Slightly older and focused more on stability, 35% of those who have been in their role for 1-3 years were aged 25-34.
44% of those who have been in their current job for 3-5 years were aged 35-44.
It seems that the older UK office workers are, the more likely they are to stay committed to their jobs.
Employee Happiness Is on the Up
We asked our survey respondents if they were happy in their current job.
Over three-quarters of respondents shared that they are happy in their current job.
15% revealed that they are neither happy nor unhappy with just 4% sharing that they’re not happy in their current job.
We also asked our survey respondents if they are considering moving jobs this year. A huge 72% shared that they aren’t considering moving jobs in 2024.
A small 10% revealed that they will be considering moving jobs this year with 18% unsure as to what they might do.
Of those who shared that they’re happy in their role, only 3% are considering moving jobs.
Those who shared that they are unhappy, all had revealed that they plan on moving jobs this year.
What Does the Future of the Workplace Look Like?
To delve deeper into the working landscape, we asked respondents which of the following statements best described their career plans for 2024.
With commitment and loyalty at the forefront of respondents' minds, it's no surprise that a third of them shared that they plan to remain in their current job for a good few years.
A quarter of respondents shared that they ideally don't want to move jobs in 2024.
A notable 11% revealed that they don’t care how often they move jobs this year as long as they’re happy.
8% want to move jobs just once this year and then stay in that job for a while.
An admirable 2% plan to quit and go freelance or self-employed whereas 1% are freelance or self-employed and plan to get a job this year.
With the future changing however, some respondents even shared that they ‘will see what happens’, some ‘plan to get a second job’, and some even shared that ‘I’m not sure’ and ‘I’m lost’.
Fair Pay For Loyal Employees
We asked our survey respondents if they felt that they were paid fairly in their current job.
More than half of respondents believe that they are paid fairly in their current job.
Almost a quarter of respondents believe that they aren’t paid fairly and 18% are unsure if they’re being paid fairly for their role.
Of those who are paid fairly, it’s clear to see that it pays off with over 80% of those respondents not planning on moving jobs this year.
However, of those who don’t believe they are paid fairly, a quarter of them plan to ditch their current job for something different in 2024.
It seems that although employees are happier in their roles, financial reward is still important. Back in May 2023, our quiet quitting survey revealed that being underpaid was the top contender for why employees were quitting their jobs. 32.52%, nearly a third, of respondents, ranked this as a reason why they have or would quit their job. Although job happiness is important and employees see the benefits of staying in the same role, pay can be an influencing factor to whether they stay loyal.
Cost of Living To Have an Impact on Careers?
We delved deeper into the reasons why respondents may choose to move jobs this year.
We asked our respondents if the cost of living will cause them to move jobs in 2024.
10% of respondents answered yes, sharing that they would probably need to move jobs this year in order to earn more money and keep up with the cost of living.
69% of respondents believe that what they earn in their current role is enough to see them through, with no plans to move solely because of the cost of living crisis.
Of these respondents, over 70% had previously shared that they believe that they are paid fairly in their current job. For those who believe they will have to move jobs in 2024 due to the cost of living, half of these respondents revealed that they don’t believe they are paid fairly in their current role.
During this time of uncertainty, 22% of respondents shared that they were unsure yet if the cost of living would be a factor in them moving jobs this year.
It’s clear to see that the working landscape has changed a lot in the last 12 months. UK office workers are more focused on building a career where they are, only uprooting if needs must.
Will you be looking to change jobs any time soon? Looking to be loyal to your employer? Let us know your thoughts on social media by using #instantprintuk!
