The Global Workplace Hopes and Fears Survey released by PwC at the World Economic Forum last week reveals that one in five employees is likely to switch jobs in the next 12 months.

The survey across 44 countries and more than 52,000 employees shows that finances are the major reason for the move, with pressure on pay highest in the tech sector and lowest in the public sector. Although pay is the major reason (71%) for employees considering a move, other top reasons for changing jobs include finding fulfilment in a job (69%), having opportunity for creativity (60%) and flexibility (50%).

Women are less likely to be satisfied with their pay, although the survey notes that women are also less likely to ask for an increase and less likely to feel listened to by their managers.

Alison Sullivan, a career expert at Glassdoor, confirms this, saying that the gender pay gap has been a long-standing global issue, with a 21.4% gap observed by Glassdoor prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shirley Machaba, chief executive of PwC in southern Africa, observed that a failure to ensure women have the same opportunities as men to develop their skills and careers can have a negative impact on business and society. “One of the quickest ways to strengthen the workforce is to ensure women are not overlooked. This means addressing the culture, systems and structures that prevent women from accessing these opportunities, and ensuring that women are heard, seen and provided [with] room to make meaningful changes.”

Social and political issues

The survey found that 65% of workers discuss social and political issues with colleagues frequently or sometimes, with the number higher for younger workers (69%) and ethnic minorities (73%). Although business leaders are sometimes nervous about people bringing these potentially polarising issues to work, the impact is actually positive. The survey showed that 79% of those who talk about social and political issues at work reported at least one positive consequence from that.

These discussions are happening despite little active effort on the part of organisations to help to secure positive outcomes. Only 30% of employees say their company provides support to help them to work effectively with people who share different views.

The survey also shows that workers have a particular interest in their employer’s impact on the economy, climate and society. More than half of workers (53%) felt it was important that their employer is transparent about their impact on the environment, almost two-thirds (65%) felt transparency about health and safety was critical, with transparency about economic impact not far behind at 60%, followed by diversity and inclusion efforts at 54%.

Dayalan Govender, PwC South Africa’s people and organisation leader, notes that diverse workforces will inevitably result in people expressing different opinions about major societal issues in the workplace. “Leaders need to ensure these discussions benefit their teams rather than dividing them.

“The role of employers isn’t to tell workers what to think, but to foster healthy discussions and enable a safe environment in which workers can share their feelings, and listen and learn about how these issues are impacting their colleagues. The timing for organisations to put employee value proposition at the top of their agendas as a priority simply cannot be overemphasised.”

Bob Moritz, global chair of PwC, says there is a tremendous need for business to do more to improve the skills of workers, while being conscious of the risk of polarisation if opportunities to develop aren’t provided right across society.”

At the same time, workers are not just looking for decent pay; they want more control over how they work and they want to derive greater meaning from what they do. These are linked: by acquiring skills, workers can gain the control over the work they are looking for. Leaders have to adapt to build the teams needed to successfully deal with the challenges and opportunities of today and those yet to come.” To close the skills gap, workers say companies are investing in the current workforce through upskilling and increasing remuneration.

Other key findings

• At least 45% of respondents said their job could not be done remotely;
• Of those who said their job can be done remotely, 63% prefer a mix of in-person and remote working;
• At least 26% of employees would prefer full-time remote work, but only 18% said their employers are likely to adopt that model; and
• At least 18% say their employers are likely to require full-time in-person work, which only 11% of employees prefer. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.