More than half (57 per cent) of employees say they’re seriously considering quitting their current jobs for one that’s more supportive, while nearly seven out of 10 executives are thinking about taking this leap, according to a survey by Deloitte.
The survey, which polled more than 1,000 C-suite leaders and more than 1,000 employees, found a growing disconnect between how employees and C-suite executives view worker well-being. Indeed, the C-suite significantly underestimated how employees are struggling with their well-being, with a majority of executives assessing employees’ well-being as “excellent” or “good,” while roughly half of employees said they agree when it comes to their physical (65 per cent), mental (59 per cent), social (51 per cent) and financial (40 per cent) well-being.
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Fewer than half (47 per cent) of employees said executives at their organization understand how difficult the coronavirus pandemic has been for them, yet nearly all (90 per cent) of the C-suite said they do recognize how challenging it’s been. Similarly, while half (53 per cent) of employees felt that their company’s executives have been making the best decisions for their well-being during the pandemic, 88 per cent of C-suite respondents said they believe their decision-making has been exemplary.
Additionally, while 56 per cent of employee respondents said their organization’s executives care about their well-being, 91 per cent of C-suite executives said they believe employees feel their leaders care about them. About half (56 per cent) of employees said their company helps them incorporate well-being into the flow of their daily work and activities, while a similar percentage felt their company does a good job of embedding well-being into the workplace culture (59 per cent) and their jobs (55 per cent).
A vast majority (91 per cent) of all respondents said they have goals for their well-being, with 75 per cent of employees and 89 per cent of executives expressing that improving their well-being is a top priority for them this year. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of employees and 81 per cent of the C-suite said improving their well-being is more important than advancing their career.
Read: 84% of U.S. employees happy at work, but burnout persists: survey
However, most employees (83 per cent) and executives (74 per cent) said they’re facing obstacles when it comes to achieving their well-being goals — and these are largely tied to their job. The top two hurdles cited were a heavy workload or stressful job (30 per cent) and not having enough time because of long work hours (27 per cent).
The survey also found 63 per cent of employee respondents and 73 per cent of C-suite executives reported they aren’t able to take time off and disconnect. The reasons included: their workload would be too unmanageable when they return (25 per cent); they’re afraid they’ll miss out on important messages or emails (24 per cent); they have too much work to do (24 per cent); they want people to know they’re dedicated to their job (22 per cent); and no one would be able to cover for them while they’re away (22 per cent).
Read: Survey finds 50% of employees can’t completely disconnect from work while on vacation