37% of non-office employees could leave their jobs in the next 6 months if organisational leaders do not act quickly to remedy this, according to a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). These employees are workers in construction, distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and transportation. They cannot work remotely and represent approximately 75% to 80% of the total workforce.
According to the report, lack of career development is the main reason, cited by 41% of respondents. Other main reasons were salary (30%), lack of flexibility in terms of location and working hours (28%), and work-life balance (22%).
In order to mitigate this, and to regain the motivation of their employees, since satisfied employees are eight times more likely to remain in their jobs for more than two years than dissatisfied employees, BCG points to several measures that organisational leaders can take to address concerns with dissatisfied employees and to strengthen their ties with satisfied employees.
Clearly, financial remuneration is a major factor, but other elements are also crucial:
- Flexible schedules: Consider the lifestyle and needs of each employee when designing and scheduling shifts and use technology to creatively design schedules.
- Extending benefits: Consideration should be given to extending benefits to employees' own homes, offering on-site or subsidised childcare, financial planning assistance and other employment and life-enhancing benefits.
- Professional growth and skills upgrading: Invest in skills upgrading and/or training for all employees, including managers, to support their professional growth.
- Demonstrate close support and engagement with these employees: Build a "workplace culture" with leaders who are committed to taking the time to listen to their employees' views and act on them.