Over a fifth of Essex workers are considering quitting their jobs
Covid has made people rethink their priorities
New research has found that 23% of workers in Essex are considering moving to a new job this year, in what's being called the Great Resignation.
The study, carried out by Slack, says that Covid has led to workers re-evaluating what they need from their careers - with job hunters in the county now valuing the ability to work flexibly or remotely more than any other perks.
Almost one in five of those wanting to quit say it’s because their employer makes them come to the office when they could work remotely.
It's thought the legal, IT and Telecoms, and Sales, Media and Marketing industries will be hit the hardest by resignations
Chris Mills, Head of Customer Success EMEA at Slack, says the research shows employers need to show employees more flexibility: "As we move back to our hybrid working environment people are looking for flexibility in their next role, second only to paying compensation."
He said businesses need to "reflect on current practices and policies and think about whether their policies prior to the pandemic are really suitable for this new world as we come back to work."
He thinks the study indicates we'll see a change in people's work habits: "What we're likely to see is people no longer going to the office as a 9-5, five days a week. That time has gone where the measure of your productivity is how much time you spend at your desk. I think what we'll see is a shift where people really look at outcomes and outputs as a measure of productivity."
The Great Resignation is being seen nationally too, with almost a third (29%) of UK workers considering changing jobs this year.
Despite wanting to leave, 32% of workers have delayed resigning in the past 12 months with the most popular reason being uncertainty over how the pandemic will affect the jobs market.