More Workers Start to Quit

[Ed Barrow]

Source: Wall Street Journal

As the job market begins to loosen up, human-resource managers might increasingly be surprised by an announcement from employees they haven't heard in a while: "I quit."

In February, the number of employees voluntarily quitting surpassed the number being fired or discharged for the first time since October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before February, the BLS had recorded more layoffs than resignations for 15 straight months, the first such streak since the bureau started tracking the data a decade ago. Since the BLS began tracking the data, the average number of people voluntarily leaving their jobs per month has been about 2.7 million. But since October 2008, the average number dropped to as low as 1.72 million. In March, it was about 1.87 million.

And recent sentiment indicates that the number of employees quitting could continue to grow in the coming months. In a poll conducted by human-resources consultant Right Management at the end of 2009, 60% of workers said they intended to leave their jobs when the market got better. "The research is fairly alarming," says Michael Haid, senior vice president of global solutions for Right Management. "The churn for companies could be very costly."

Adecco Group, a world-wide staffing firm based in Zurich, has seen several of its clients ask for candidates for key positions after employees made surprise departures, says Vice President Rich Thompson. Although so far there haven't been widespread departures, Mr. Thompson says his company is readying itself for large-scale changes within the next few months. "We're preparing for a massive reshuffling of talent at all job levels in all industries," he says, noting that the recession earlier this decade was so short and shallow that the turnover this time around is likely to be much greater.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704113504575264432377146698.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENex

[Skittles]

1. places that crapped on their workers during the bad times

need to get ready for mass departures if the economy makes a true comeback

[lib2DaBone]

3. And they have crapped on their workers..Abuse in the workplace is unprecedented

Supervisor threats, abuse, no bathroom breaks, forced work "off" the clock.

If you complain.. they threaten, and do bring in Mexican Labor.

NAFTA forced millions of Mexicans off their farms because they couldn't compte with subsidized American protest, so the Mexicans come to the united states and provide cheap labor.. while the Republicans.. who benefit from this cheap labor in Arizona, pass laws to punish the immigrant workers.

Even Nazi Germany could not have been this bad...

[Fearless]

4. Agreed except I'm still sure Nazi Germany was worse...

Except in health care...

[prolesunited]

6. Yes, Nazi Germany was worse

WTF is wrong with you to even make such an idiotic statement?

[Lisa0825]

2. This is actually good news from an employee's POV...

When companies get worried about losing the people they wanted to keep, they start improving the workplace conditions to try to keep people.

This is not necessarily about companies that "crapped on" people... it is also about companies that were forced to slash costs, work on shoestrings, cut bonuses, etc, to ride out the economic troubles. Now that the recovery is on the way and employees are starting to feel more confident, they can have some bargaining power again.

[freethought]

5. Somehow employers are surprised by this?

What the hell do they expect? Corporations show little to no loyalty to those they employ, so why should the employees show loyalty in return? I mean this is that ever-holy market system, is it not? Those with employable skills are free to search for better employment elsewhere that provides benefits, compensation, and flexibility for home life.

I also tend to think that this is just more indication that they way we are working, well, is not working.

[eridani]

7. Quitting to retire, or for other reasons? n/t