Employees Favor Job Stability Over Any Other Benefit

by wickedblondeone in Work, January 2, 2012

With the economic downturns of the past two years, job stability has become the biggest concern of the majority of employees.

As recently as a few years ago, employees considered flexibility and work/life balance to be the most desirable things to have in job. When considering a position they would ask questions such as “Can I telecommute?” or “Is flex time available?” This was especially true with the growing influx of Generation Y employees entering the workforce. Now, however, with the economic downturns of the past two years, job stability has become the biggest concern.

Younger employees especially have been rattled by the changes of the past two years. This was a group that, above everything else, valued work/life balance. Now, having seen so many layoffs, furloughs and salary cuts, they are reevaluating their priorities. The desire for job security has become the number one focus, and this is one concern that affects all four generations currently in the workplace.

A recent study conducted by Towers Watson, the 2010 Global Workforce Study, shows that 81% of employees are not actively looking for work. This statistic, more than anything, highlights the level of trepidation employees are currently experiencing. The trend right now seems to be to hunker down and hold on to a current job vice keeping an eye out for other opportunities.