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Struggling to find staff? Your inaction on social issues could be to blame
Australian employees are increasingly likely to call it quits with a company that has a poor record on social issues or mental health, new research has shown.
Struggling to find staff? Your inaction on social issues could be to blame
Australian employees are increasingly likely to call it quits with a company that has a poor record on social issues or mental health, new research has shown.
A study conducted by PwC and commissioned by Atlassian revealed that employee expectations have grown, with 77 per cent of Aussie workers now agreeing that they value businesses that speak up when it comes to social issues.
The study coincides with fresh data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which put job vacancy rates at a record high, suggesting that businesses are struggling to gain or retain staff.
In a major boost for the employment outlook, figures from the ABS issued on 1 July showed that vacancies in the three months to May surged 23.4 percent, from the previous quarter, to 362,500.
The PwC study now suggests that employers face a new social contract with their staff, with businesses increasingly expected to take a comprehensive view of their workers’ wellbeing and act decisively on issues that impact their lives.
“The era of the corporation being an invisible entity is gone, and employees expect more,” said Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian.
“We have an awesome opportunity to take inspiration from the hearts and minds of our global workforce, and drive change for the betterment of our world.”
According to the results, an employer focused on an employee’s mental health and wellbeing is the most sought after.
The research revealed that 69 per cent of workers would consider turning down a job promotion in order to preserve their mental health, while a further 42 per cent would change jobs to access more remote work.
This number increases to 50 per cent for Gen Y.
Additionally, employees expect their employer to act as a global citizen, with 82 per cent agreeing businesses should take some form of action on societal issues.
Going further, a third of Aussies admitted they would walk away from their employer for failure to act in a socially acceptable manner.
“The consequences of inaction are very real. We’re in a global war for talent and employees want change. There have never been higher expectations on business, and how we respond as leaders is crucial,” said Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian.
“If this groundswell of support for action is ignored, it will open businesses up to the risk of alienating the emerging workforce,” he concluded.
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