A survey conducted in India by Mercer’s, a consultancy major, found an enigmatic trend among young employees. They are satisfied with their salaries, performance management and career advancement, but the desire to leave the organisation is higher than their older peers. But what prompts young workers to make quick switches? Does it have something to do with the restlessness of the new generation or our constant need for change?
Job-hopping is akin to a hobby for 26-year-old Vikas Uniyal, who is working with a Dehradun-based content development firm. He says that as a generation we are impatient and adds that the triggers are the “options” available and a pre-conceived notion that a change is always for the “better”. “Subtract the options from one’s surroundings and restlessness will come to an end. It is an urge to leap and not move in the shortest span of time that is making us leapfrogs,” he says.
Arjun Natarajan, an advocate with Fox Mandal Little, left his previous job for no definite reason. He loves his work and says that people who have no issues with their jobs are inherently very restless. “The job and its rigour have a cushioning effect on their inherent restlessness. All said and done, a change is the best balm for the restless soul. Restlessness apart, people are often mentally mature enough to realise that they have no issues with their jobs but they have got into the ‘comfort-zone’. That realisation leads to thinking about a job change,” says Arjun.
Delhi boy Vishesh Sharma, who works with a prominent business magazine, has changed at least four jobs in the span of three years. In the last job he wanted to stay for long but he got bored of the city. He says, “After I get settled in a job, there comes the uneasiness when only a change of space helps. I was satisfied with my profile and the bosses were quite happy with my work. But after a year or so I felt the need to leave Hyderabad and explore a new city. When I got an offer from Mumbai, I lapped up the opportunity.”
Traditionally, the reasons why people look for change are money, growth, management issues, or dissatisfaction at work. The new survey doesn’t surprise Shiv Sood who is a trainer as well as an HR manager with United Group. “I think the present generation has become more experimental and is not afraid of taking risks. Also, they are restless yet innovative. An MBA graduate wouldn’t mind getting into something like a travel industry. More than relying on their educational background, they look forward to working for things that excite them,” he says.