Attrition in jobs: Concern for companies

Manveen Kaur

In contemporary period, the prevalence of job change has been well documented in researches. In earlier  times, people worked for the same company for many years and stayed committed for long. But now a  day’s job change has become a trend from a decade or so. Job-hopping as a solution for job dissatisfaction could be the real reason to change jobs. We change our jobs because of better salary, closer to some geographical region and better working environment etc. The companies who neglect the employee’s job satisfaction levels suffer from high employee turnover rate and it is the cream employee leaving at a faster rate for better recognition of their talent, there by pushing the company into ineffective workforce.

Proneness to job change
Loyalty of employee is decreasing with employee turnover increase. We hardly hear stories of people starting their career with one company and ending with only one till retirement. A common proverb which says nothing lasts ever, same is applicable with jobs. Unlike previous generation, jobs do not last now. From the past many years, job change has become so rapid and widespread that a four-five year stretch working with the same organisation has become a stable job. In a year, three job changes are no longer considered a shock or a bad impression in resume. In fact, job change has become a new secret for success.

Major reason for lack of job satisfaction
The consequences of job change are many but job dissatisfaction comes out to be the major reason for job-hopping. Shortcuts to reach height in profession and disloyalty are the major reasons. All job-hoppers are not smart. In fact, they change a job for reasons like money, career growth, monotony and increased challenges with coping up with a new industry. Employers looking for recruiting long-term employees may not be impressed with employees with frequent job changes. A lot of job changes within a span of 24 months may label an employee as “chronic” to job change. Employers may consider such employees as disloyal and low on trust. People in this modern age are so much overwhelmed with new opportunities that they live with the notion that there is always a better opportunity. In case of economic breakdown, the company will adopt last in first out rule. A series of regular, rapid, and pointless movement will reflect inconsistencies in resume and may not put good impression on employers.

Type of employees
There are two types of employees. Type A personality types are ones who are aggressive, ambitious, controlling, highly competitive, preoccupied with status, workaholics, hostile and lack patience. People with Type B personality traits are relaxed, less stressed, flexible, emotional and expressive and have a laid back attitude.
Now one would believe that personality Type B is more relaxed, would do less job-hopping. However, this may be a premature conclusion. The higher echelons of a company do not like Type B employees. They prefer aggressive and competitive types. Hence, they make life difficult for Type B employees. The attrition level of Type B employees is therefore quite high. While Type A tend to do job-hopping on their own, Type Bs are generally made to hop. This is now an assessment which requires major research. However, a study conducted by me on 100 girls and boys shows Type B ones more likely to change jobs more frequently despite having a very positive impression on middle echelons of a company.
Conclusion: Though job-hopping is a trend that is likely to continue for some time, job satisfaction is an area all companies need to work upon. The hopping and attrition causes drainage in professionalism of companies. Some stability in employees is definitely required by the customers.