60% of Romanians want another job because they consider themselves underestimated by the employer

The fall edition of the Randstad Workmonitor study indicates a trend that can be called the “Year of Awareness of Careers in Line with Personal Expectations” among employees, who have gained greater clarity about what they want from the pandemic. their lives, professionally and personally.   The latest study by Randstad shows how this is reflected in their decisions and what they expect from employers to support them. Randstad Workmonitor shows that over 60% of Romanian employees looking for another job do so because they consider themselves undervalued at the current job, compared to the global average of 54%. By comparison, the minimum percentage is recorded in Luxembourg (34%) and the maximum in India (76%), while in Eastern Europe it is 67% in Turkey and 47% in the Czech Republic.   “For employers, it is time to re-evaluate what they have to do to meet the new prospects and expectations that the workforce has gained from the pandemic. A competitive wage is a necessary but not sufficient condition. It is useful to revised the benefits package to support employees as easily as possible to integrate personal and family life responsibilities with those of the office, while Randstad Workmonitor identified a less visible employee need so far this year, that their work serves an important purpose for them,” said Mihaela Maranca, General Manager, Randstad Romania.   When considering a career move, employees look at criteria resulting from the existential questions they have been asking themselves for the past nearly two years, such as meaningful work, flexible hours, distance work, minimal stress at work. and a safe working environment.   The compensation package remains the most important criterion, but the non-financial elements will be the ones that will differentiate employers in their strategy of attracting labor. 48% of Romanian employees say they are satisfied with their current situation, but remain open to new opportunities.   Another 15.7% are actively looking for another job, plan to retire soon, have recently changed jobs, moved to another industry or taken a break. Only a third (33%) of them are satisfied with the current situation and do not intend to change jobs.   The challenges posed by COVID-19 have exposed the resilience of the workforce everywhere, despite the hardships and changes it has gone through during this period. Amid the unprecedented uncertainty generated by the pandemic, employees seem more confident about what they want in their lives and careers. The worries and inconveniences they had profoundly changed their perspectives and desires. Taking control of their destiny, either at work or at home, has become the defining feature of the post-pandemic workforce. 45% of Romanians feel more stressed since the pandemic broke out and want to make a change in their professional life, compared to the global average of 49%; 49% feel inspired by colleagues and / or friends to make a change in their career, compared to 51%, the global average; Over 60% of Romanian employees are looking for another job because they consider themselves undervalued at the current job; 79% know better what they want regarding their career, as a result of the pandemic; 61% would consider accepting a job abroad if it allows them to work remotely.   The pandemic has also changed the vision and notion of community and work. Social distance, lockdowns and other public health measures have changed the way personal interactions between family, friends and colleagues take place. The way they lead their lives, the protocols they have adopted at work and the sacrifices they have made have all reshaped perceptions and expectations. In just two years, people’s habits have definitely changed, and a return to pre-pandemic habits is unlikely to happen any time soon. Over 80% of Romanian employees want more flexibility in their workplace and, in general, in their careers, compared to the global average of 76%. 70% feel the need for assessment tests, by the employer or state institutions, to better understand which skills to focus on in their development, while the overall average is 66% in this direction, and the rate the highest is found in China (94%).   The percentage of Romanians who have reevaluated, to a greater or lesser extent, the way in which work is integrated in their personal program is over 86%, slightly above the global average of 83%. Almost 19% believe that in the last year they have improved their ability to attract income. Over 15% of Romanian employees were promoted during the pandemic, receiving, at the same time, a salary increase, and 7.2% were promoted without this reflecting on earnings.