Research Shows That More Than 3 in 5 Workers Are Poised to Leave Their Companies

New research from Gloat reveals that 34% of American workers feel underutilized at work, prompting many employees to head for the exits. 

The Gloat survey of more than 1,000 full-time employees shows that an even larger share of Black (46%) and Latinx (38%) employees feel their skills are underutilized at work. Nearly twice as many women (43%) as men (24%) feel underutilized by their employers. And 64% of all employees plan to leave their jobs due to such factors as the lack of opportunity for growth, a desire for something new, or feeling underappreciated or pigeonholed in their current position. 

As Gloat’s study indicates, many organizations are still not tapping into the full potential of their existing employees at a time in which talent is so vital to business success — and that’s a huge gap. 

The gap exists because employees lack visibility into the opportunities available to them, and managers and human resources leaders within large organizations are often unaware of the internal talent and employee interest that could help them build a better company through a more intentional work culture. 

This is despite the fact that the market has been talking about employee experience for years. A more effective way to engage, retain and optimize employees is by matching talent with internal opportunities that address their professional skill sets and aspirations. 

Here are three tips that will help enable your organization with an agile workforce and a stronger career path for your employees.

You must give employees visibility, transparency, and access. This starts by providing employees with the ability to see the career opportunities that are available to them.

Empowering employees to share their skills and interests provides them with the feeling that they’re being recognized. Allowing them to navigate their careers can help them to find greater meaning in their work.

At the same time, this helps managers and HR leaders to identify people with the skills and interests that they seek, to apply them directly to new projects or mentoring opportunities. 

As Gloat’s study reflects, employees frequently leave their current jobs in an effort to experience something new. Businesses that provide their employees with opportunities to try new and interesting things can prevent such employee churn.

The opportunity could be an entirely new position. But it could also be a chance for employees to take part in specific projects, provide or receive mentoring, or get involved in other learning opportunities. This enables growth and prevents people from feeling pigeonholed — two of the other top reasons people plan to leave their current jobs.

Technology can help to effectively shift the employee experience at scale — and speed up your engagement and retention efforts.