Why helping employees look for a new job can be good for business
Most employees have no qualms about looking for a new job while currently employed. And more employers are helping them in their search.
Most employees are not shy about looking for a new job while still at their current job – and it turns out that a growing number of employers are encouraging them to do so.
Indeed, 78 percent of professionals say they would feel at least somewhat comfortable looking for a new job while with their present company, according to a survey from Accountemps, a Robert Half company. More than six in 10 respondents (64 percent) say they’d likely conduct search activities from work.
Related: Are you prepared for job candidates to ask, “Why should I work here?”
Professionals ages 18 to 34 are the most open to conducting job search activities at work (72 percent), compared to those ages 35 to 54 (63 percent) and 55 and older (46 percent). In addition, the research showed men are more likely to conduct job search activities from the workplace (72 percent) than women (55 percent).
“While it’s OK to pursue new opportunities while employed, a search should never interfere with your current job — schedule interviews during lunch breaks or outside of business hours,” says Michael Steinitz, executive director of Accountemps.
A growing number of employers, especially those in the tech field such as Netflix and GCrowd, are now helping their employees land their next job, as part of their commitment to career development, according to Business Insider.
Netflix posts on its website: “Knowing that other companies would quickly hire you if you left Netflix is comforting. We see occasional outside interviewing as healthy, and encourage employees to talk with their managers about what they learn in the process.”
Patty McCord, Netflix’s former chief talent officer tells Business Insider that this openness has a number of potential benefits. For example, interviewing can help employees clarify their professional goals because they may be more honest with the hiring manager than they are with their current boss. On the other hand, it can make workers appreciate their current company more.
G2 Crowd’s chief marketing officer Ryan Bonnici writes in the Harvard Business Review that he actively encourages his employees to pursue outside job offers because “it helps the business succeed.”
“When I make clear to my employees that I want them to consider all options for their careers, they see that I’m genuinely committed to helping them learn and grow,” Bonnici writes. “They know it’s not lip service; I care about their development. If I think they’ve gotten to the top of their learning curve on my team, and I can’t figure out a way to help them grow, I will support their efforts to get a job somewhere else.”
Bonnici cites research that found employees often quit not because of their company but because of their manager.
“They stay for a manager they believe in — one who wants to help them achieve their goals,” he writes in HBR. “I’ve had employees tell me they chose to come work for me, and chose to stay, because of that commitment.”
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