According to the latest survey conducted by eJobs.ro and Up Romania early this month, 34% of employees express dissatisfaction with their current job, while 7% declare themselves very dissatisfied. At the other extreme, 54% of respondents say they are satisfied, and 6% very satisfied with the work environment and the stage they are at in their career.
When asked why they do not change their job due to this dissatisfaction, 32.3% say that although they would be tempted to do so, they have not yet found a better option. They are joined by another 11.8% who believe that the market does not offer them other options.
26.4% are already looking for and applying for other jobs and won’t stay in their current job for much longer, and 5.9% have already resigned and are going to leave. 7.6% decided to wait because they think it is not the right time to make a career change, 5.7% are in a comfort zone and find it difficult to make a change, 4.6% hope that the current situation will improve, and 3.4% have gotten used to the people they work with.
“Salary is the main reason for dissatisfaction of Romanian employees, being mentioned by 67.3% of the respondents. It is, moreover, the argument that weighs the heaviest when they decide to accept a job offer, but also the one that can cause them the greatest dissatisfaction. Lack of promotion opportunities is another source of frustration for employees, found in the responses of 29.9% of study participants. Other reasons that would lead them to leave their current job are the relationship with the manager (28.7%), lack of work recognition (25.4), the benefits package (22.5%), the workload ( 22.4%), the relationship with the team (21.3%), the work schedule (20.2%) or the lack of balance between work and personal life (19.5%)”, says Raluca Dumitra, Head of Marketing in eJobs.ro.
Other reasons mentioned in the survey were the work environment, the projects in which they are involved, the instability of the job or the lack of feedback.
If they were, however, on the verge of resigning for another opportunity, 43.9% say a salary counteroffer would make them back down. 12.7% would change their mind if their current employer offered them a more generous benefits package. 10.9% would need an improvement in working conditions, 7.4% a professional career plan and 6.8% would like to get the chance to work on other projects within the company. 15.9% say they are at a stage where nothing could make them change their mind.
“In light of these findings, it is essential to emphasize the importance of redefining the concept of work. We are talking about a necessary recalibration in the way employers perceive the benefits associated with it. All the more so since Romanian employees already have a fairly clear perspective on how the entire ecosystem in which they operate should look, whether we are talking about the work environment, the relationship with the manager or colleagues, up to the salary and package extra-salary benefits. Among the latter, board cards remain top of the list, valued by 52.5% of respondents who believe they should be included in any job offer. Also, the list of benefits is completed by the medical subscription to a private clinic (35.1%), flexible schedule (33.5%), medical insurance (29%), the possibility to work from home (26.4%) , or access to a platform of extra-salary benefits (25.2%)”, declares Loredana Vătăvoiu, Marketing Director at Up Romania.
Although almost half of the respondents admit that they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current job, 31% believe that their interest and involvement in the activities they carry out in the company is much higher compared to previous years. 14% see a slight decrease, while 7% say they are much lower. For 29% they remained constant, and for 19% they increased. On the employers’ side, things look like this: 38% believe that between 60% and 80% of team members are performing; 27% observe this performance in over 80% of their peers; just as many say only 40%-60% of team members are performing, and 8% note an increased level of performance in less than 40% of team members.
“When it comes to employers, the main way they try to keep people in the company long-term is related to creating a pleasant work environment, according to 56.8% of the companies participating in the same survey. 45.5% of them also do annual evaluations and increase salaries based on performance. 38.2% offer bonuses as a reward for special achievements, and 36.4% constantly adapt the benefits package”, details Raluca Dumitra.
If a valued employee decides to leave the team, however, 30% of managers say they try to avoid such a loss with a salary counteroffer. 20% propose new projects that arouse his interest, 15% initiate a discussion about advancement possibilities, 9% add to the benefits chapter, 7% offer flexibility or the possibility to work from home, while 19% consider that they do not they can still motivate at this stage and therefore take no action.
“More and more companies are concerned with the level of employee satisfaction and engagement and check these aspects annually. The data they have shows that salary is what an employee values most at work. Next comes the work environment, the relationship with the team, job stability, flexible working hours, recognition and appreciation of work and extra-salary benefits,” says Loredana Vătăvoiu.
When a team member’s performance declines, 67% of managers hold a discussion to try to find out why, 9% provide training to improve skills, 8% adjust tasks to fit individual goals, and 7% implement a mentoring or coaching plan. 7% reassess the work schedule and 4% provide regular feedback sessions.