Your employees are looking for new jobs, and here’s why

Note to UK employers: it’s likely that most of your employees are open to new job opportunities.

Ceridian’s inaugural UK Pay Experience Report found that only 33% of employees aren’t interested in new opportunities. That means most employees are looking either actively or casually (37%) or would consider a new job if they were approached (29%).

The report, based on a survey conducted by Hanover research on behalf of Ceridian, asked 1,000 UK workers (a mix of full-time, part-time, and contract/freelance workers) how they feel about their pay experience, including how it impacts job satisfaction.

The report findings indicate that the pressure is on employers to create engaging reasons for their top talent to stay for the long-term – and some of these key factors are related to the employee pay experience. Here are some top considerations.

Download the full report to discover how employees feel about their pay experience

How job satisfaction relates to pay

Our research found that pay is the top contributor to job unhappiness. Of survey respondents who said they weren’t satisfied with their job, pay – or not making a good salary – was the most cited reason for job unhappiness at 44%.

However, pay is not the top contributor to happiness. Those who said they’re satisfied with their jobs ranked pay much lower on the list of reasons why. When asked why they are satisfied with their jobs, employees were more likely to cite interesting work (63%), good relationships with colleagues (56%), or that they have flexible hours or the option of working remotely (45%) than their salary (37%).

These findings are in line with what we know about the modern workforce: today’s employees will seek out work that gives them joy and satisfaction, and want to feel that they have purpose, the power to do their job, and feel they’re being invested in.

While pay alone won’t make an employee happy, if they’re not satisfied with their pay, they’re more likely to consider leaving their job.

Related: Why UK employees should prioritise employee financial well-being

Communication is key when it comes to pay transparency

The amount of transparency employees feel they’re given around pay can colour their overall pay experience. This includes transparency related to their role and contribution within their organization, and to pay scales for similar positions at other companies.

On this point, the survey found that satisfaction is not particularly high: 52% of respondents are at least somewhat satisfied when it comes to the transparency of information regarding considerations like industry average and coworkers’ pay.

Ceridian’s People and Culture Officer Lisa Sterling notes in the report that most organisations aren’t transparent about compensation – and in fact, it’s easier for companies to defend their pay practices if people don’t have anything to compare it to.

Inside many traditional corporate cultures, discussing pay is frowned upon. But access to information is disrupting those cultural norms. With online services like Glassdoor, Salary.com, PayScale, and others now increasingly common, employees have more access than ever to self-reported salary information.

With pay data so readily available, it's time for organisations to have a more open dialogue about pay. Provide visibility into how pay is structured throughout the company to give your employees more insight into why they are compensated the way they are.

Equally important is clearly communicating the different aspects of total compensation. Organisations need to provide clarity when speaking about compensation – whether it’s simply salary or hourly rate, or if it includes commissions, benefits, or other pillars of total compensation.

For more insights about how to improve the pay experience, download the UK Pay Experience Report