With six in 10 of the respondents to PMW’s Workforce survey saying that they are not looking for a new role, it might be assumed that more rather than less of the industry’s workforce is content to stay put.
Contentment is particularly prevalent among our US respondents, with all but four stating they are not looking for a new job.
But a third of our non-jobseeking respondents told us that they may be tempted if the right opportunity came along. This passive job seeking is an area employers need to be concerned about, as our findings show that many things could tempt people to go for the ‘right move’.
Type of role and employer culture play their parts
The main reasons our non-jobseekers are not actively on the job hunt are because they like their employer (61%) and are enjoying their current role (53%). This is encouraging in an industry where skills gaps and high churn have been a problem over the years and remain high on marketing bosses’ watch lists of threats to growth.
“The only time I would be tempted to search for a new job is if my current role drastically changes or my organisation drastically changes.”
- PMW survey respondentHowever, enjoying a current role may not be a permanent state of mind, with a need for progression, personal circumstances and situations all potential precursors for change. While 44% of our respondents felt their employer offered flexible working options to suit them, this is less than half of our non-jobseekers. Perhaps more worrying, just 26% of respondents cited being happy with their salary as a reason for staying put, and only a third said they were staying because they have a good work/life balance.
So what looks stable right now may be less so in the – perhaps near – future.
Perhaps predictably, a higher salary was the most ‘ticked’ temptation when respondents were asked what would make them consider applying for a new role, even if they were happy where they were. More than half said they would be tempted by more pay, while a more senior position might push 40% and a large bonus might shift a quarter (26%) into action. One specifically cited “bigger budgets and doing more advanced work in an e-commerce role” as a reason that could turn their head.
“[Marketers] want to feel accepted for who they are, whether it's skin colour, gender, race, whether it's socioeconomic background, whether it’s extrovert versus introvert. Feeling loved, feeling like they belong and like they've got power to feel like they've got control over their career, over their time, over their job, over where they work. It's very simple things which we all know in practice and it's the stuff that keeps individuals in their job. And it has been for the last millions of years.”
- Andrew Spurrier-Dawes, EMEA Head of Precision, WavemakerBut as with active jobseekers, it’s not as clear cut as money pushing those to move. In fact, 47% said they would be tempted if a role opened up in a brand or organisation they’d like to work for, and 45.2% indicated their heads could be turned by the promise of a better work/life balance.
“Purely morals and values if it aligns more with my career and personality than this current role.”
- PMW survey respondentThe importance of a great working culture therefore can’t be taken for granted, particularly for those hiring managers looking to attract talent in their organisation, or for those particularly keen to ensure their staff happily stay where they are. However, ‘culture’ is a term that means different things to different people. Organisations need to understand how their current culture is perceived and what their employees are looking for in order to build and deliver a strong incentive for people to stay.