Employees in ANZ considering quitting because of mismatched values with their employer
Four in ten employees in Australia and New Zealand considering quitting because of mismatched values with their employer
54% of employees say it’s more important than ever for company leaders to speak up
As employees place increasing emphasis on working for organisations that align with their individual needs and purpose, new research from Qualtrics reveals 40% of respondents from Australia and New Zealand are considering leaving their current employer because it does not exemplify the values they hold. Almost two-thirds (62%) said they would not consider joining a company that did not align with their values.
As employers navigate competitive job markets, embrace new ways of working, and manage a shift in employee needs and expectations, the Qualtrics findings outline the need for businesses and governments to have a deep understanding of their employee experience drivers.
More than half of the 1,605 respondents to the study said they would likely look to leave their employer if the company did not meaningfully prioritise work-life balance (56%) or well-being (55%). Others said failure to prioritise diversity and inclusion (35%), social responsibility (33%), and environmental sustainability (26%) could make them look for a new job.
In contrast, 83% of respondents said they feel motivated to go above and beyond what’s expected of them when their employer’s mission, values, and vision align with their own.
Managers asked to talk the talk and walk the walk
Shared purposes and values have become a big part of the employee-employer relationship, with 54% of respondents saying it’s more important than ever for leaders to speak out more about social, environmental, and political issues. Many respondents (48%) to the study said they wanted leaders to speak out more about the issues, and a similar volume (47%) wanted their company to take more action to help address them.
Alongside a shift toward speaking out, leaders must demonstrate they are living the values themselves - particularly around health and wellbeing. Respondents said leaders were better at exemplifying respect, integrity, and advocating for diversity than they were work life balance and mental health.
For organisations wanting to attract, retain, engage, and enable talent - against a backdrop of the rising cost of living, heightened rates of burnout, and evolving employee attitudes, such as quiet quitting - the Qualtrics findings outline the value of tuning into the unique needs and expectations of their workforce. Equipped with a deeper understanding of what’s important to employees, companies can identify shared interests and prioritise the actions that will have the biggest positive impact on employees and customers.
“Many people are looking at their jobs, their companies, and work in general through a completely different lens than they were before the pandemic. For employers, this new perspective represents a significant opportunity to strengthen relationships with their teams, which can lead to improved wellbeing, higher engagement, greater retention of high-performers, and better outcomes for customers,” said Steve Bennetts, Psychologist and Head of Growth & Strategy - Employee Experience Solutions at Qualtrics in Asia Pacific and Japan.
About the study
The Qualtrics study was carried out in May 2022, and includes 1,605 respondents 18 years of age or older employed full- or part-time across a range of industries in Australia and New Zealand.
To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.
