A recent survey conducted by Mercer’s entitled “What’s Working” collected responses from 30,000 workers in 17 countries, including more than 2,000 in Canada. Here’s what they found:
- 36% of Canadian workers are seriously considering leaving their organization, up sharply from 26% in 2006
- 22% are indifferent about leaving but are increasingly dissatisfied with their employers
- intention to leave is up across all employee segments, with the youngest workers most likely to be eyeing a departure—43% of employees ages 25 to 34, and 45% of employees 24 and younger
- only 53% say they are satisfied with their base pay
- Only 43% of Canadian employees believe they are doing enough to financially prepare for retirement, and just 40% believe their employers are doing enough to help them prepare
- Sixty-six percent rate their overall benefits program as good or very good, while 58% say they are satisfied with their healthcare benefits
- 53% say their benefits are as good as, or better than, those of others in their industry, down from 65% in 2006
Madeline Avedon from Mercer’s said “This erosion in employee sentiment has business consequences that reach well beyond the direct costs of employee turnover. Diminished respect for, and lack of confidence in, an organization can undermine the innovation and productivity gains businesses rely on from their workforces.” Pete Foley, also of Mercer’s added “Employers must periodically take the pulse of their own employees to identify specific areas of concern and link employee opinion to outcomes such as productivity and retention.”