The research I’ve been doing lately has me starting to wonder…why do we stay at our jobs? Honestly, I think that the main reason that most people stay is because of money. If I told you today that you could leave the organization you were with and make the same amount of money doing your own thing, would you hesitate at all? Of course there are plenty of other reasons why people stay at their job, including having a sense of purpose, the feeling of community, and for the educational opportunities. But you don’t really have to rely on an organization for those things. They can all be found elsewhere.
Many studies show that people are scared to leave their full-time job and become freelancers because they are unsure of where their income will come from. Even when organizations announce massive job cuts, the first thing that people think about isn’t job security, but if they can branch out to do the same job on their own. Money is the element that is holding employees at organizations. If they could make comparable money independently, I believe that the majority of people would jump ship from their organizations immediately! Especially since we now don’t have to rely on our job for health benefits and the other resources it may offer.
Plenty of companies are doing fantastic things and have happy employees, so this isn’t to say that all jobs are terrible and people just stick around because of their paycheck. However, many do stay just because they have the security of knowing that they will get paid. So if you could gain the same income elsewhere, would you flee and leave your organization, whether it is a good place to work or not?
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This video is brought to you by Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, Inc. I recently worked with Staples Business Advantage on their 2016 Workplace Index, which examined the state of the workplace in the United States and Canada. The report identified what employees want and need from their employers, including wellness programs, smart office design, the right technology, and space and supplies for taking breaks. These findings are critical to help companies meet their recruitment, retention, and employee engagement goals. Download the report at go.staplesadvantage.com/workplaceindex2016.
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. You can invite Jacob to keynote your next conference, subscribe to his videos on Youtube, check our his podcast, or subscribe to his newsletter!
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