Yikes!

A recent survey done by Manpower, Inc. indicates that about 60% of people are actively looking for a new job and that another 21% are now actively networking for better opportunities.  Unfortunately, this confirms a number of other recent surveys on the subject.  Anyone who has been through this knows that once people start looking, the opportunities will come and people will leave, even after the business starts to rebound.

Wow!   That should give any executive cause for concern.  Even if you think everything at your company is hunky-dory, these numbers say you’re wrong.  81% of your people are looking!

Granted, much of this sentiment may be just “recession burn-out.”  Everyone – the restructured, the down-sized, and the survivors alike – are tired.  This has been a grind.  The turmoil, stress, and anxiety have been intense.  No wonder a significant majority want to move to some place that is better, more fun, less stressful.

That said, it still says that the time to act is now.  The good news is we are fickle creatures – as happy as our current assignment, our current boss, our last positive experience.   It doesn’t take much to get people re-engaged.  What people want is to know that they are making a difference, that their contribution matters, and that they bring something special and unique to the business.

These are easy issues to address.  They don’t require massive investment!  They just require that we stop thinking about the next fifteen minutes and really start thinking about the future. 

As Red, the Morgan Freeman character in Shawshank Redemption, so aptly said, “Get busy livin’ or get busy dying!”   Time to get busy livin’.   The time to hang on to your best people is now – before their phones start ringing.  No time like the New Year to focus on your top priorities, right?

Scott