Nearly two thirds of US employers have lost out to competitors as their staff have opted to move to companies with more flexible work policies.
Not only this, but remote and flexible work benefits are polling high on employee’s wish lists, so companies with strict mandates are putting prospective employees off.
This research has hit desks at the same as Amazon’s beleaguered employees are hitting back yet again at CEO Andy Jassy’s strict RTO mandates with nearly three quarters admitting they are considering leaving.
Mass Dissatisfaction
The Amazon poll, carried out by Blind and reported on by Forbes, revealed the extent of the anger among employees.
It shares: “…four out of five Amazon professionals polled by Blind said they knew someone at the company who was considering looking for another job because of the in-office work policy, and 32% said they knew someone who had already quit in response.”
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Jassy has taken a hardline in response to the concerns of his employees about the five day RTO mandate. Despite huge unrest, legal action, and even walkouts, Jassy is pushing hard ahead and has suggested that those who don’t want to toe the line should look for another job.
Looking for Better Options
The 2024 Global Workforce Report from Remote.com reveals that employees are actively seeking out companies with flexible work strategies. And it is a worldwide trend.
The survey took place across ten different countries and found that 73% of employers have moved on from jobs because they didn’t like their employer’s work policy.
Boon for Companies With the Right Policies
However, there are companies who are happy to maintain flexibility and they are enjoying a raft of talent banging on their door.
The survey revealed that 71% of the employers they interviewed were enacting remote policies when expanding their global workforce, and 25% had agreed to hybrid-working set ups.
They also said that these policies were having a positive impact, including almost 37% reporting higher productivity levels. Nearly 40% of hiring executives added that their flexible policies had positively impacted the work/life balance enjoyed by their employees. Increased employee engagement and reduced absenteeism were also flagged.
Voting With Their Feet
The CEOs of the big tech companies are barreling ahead with mandates even though they don’t seem to have any research evidence that productivity will go up. There is also compelling evidence that these policies are hitting morale – as the C-Suite at Dell have seen (and chosen to ignore).
Employees may start showing their displeasure by heading to new pastures. This is, however, also a time of mass lay-offs. Will employees be nervous of moving and will there be the jobs out there for them?
