Voyeur Magazine
August, 2007

The decision to leave a job might be one of the hardest, but it's one that more Australians are making at considerable cost to employers. Those who voluntarily leave jobs are costing employers $6 billion each year, according to 1st Executive, a Melbourne-based national strategic recruitment and human resources company. 

"Australia's available skilled labour population is extremely mobile, exercising choice, and employers need to be proactive in retaining their key talent if they want to keep their workforce as participation rates decline... Otherwise employees have proven they will vote with their feet," says the director of 1st Executive, Andrew Thoseby. 

The research also revealed most Australian workers aren't loyal to their employers. Around 75 per cent plan to switch jobs in the next two years, with over half convinced they needed to change jobs to further their careers.  And there's more at stake than the bottom line, too. 

Research by leading Australian HR consultancy Development Dimensions International has shown highly engaged employees - those who are inspired, committed to the organisation and take pride in their work - are not only more satisfied and less likely to look elsewhere, but they are also generally more productive and perform at a higher level, meaning businesses with highly engaged employees tend to outperform competition. 

So, how do you keep your staff happy over the long term? Leadership is key, as engaged and supportive senior staff set the tone for an organisation's culture and inspire those working under them. It's also a matter of employing the right people in the right jobs and ensuring first- and second-level leaders are adequately skilled. In today's competitive climate, productive and happy employees can help set an organisation apart from the crowd - which makes perfect business sense.