The UK’s top performing employees are close to burn-out according to Smart Talent Expects - a new study by CoreHR examining the behaviours and attitudes of 1000 UK employees who stand out to employers thanks to their high-drive and ambition. 42% of smart talent employees say work negatively impacts their personal lives. 41% also worry about the impact work has on their mental well-being, rising to nearly half (49%) of 25-34 year olds.
Despite 73% of respondents saying a good work-life balance is attractive in an employer, only 41% believe their current job actually allows for this. In addition, 7-in-10 (68%) argue their employer should take shared responsibility for their emotional and physical well-being.
Smart talent are keen to use new forms of technology to help them have greater control and management over their workloads. With over a third (35%) saying their current workload is unsustainable, 64% also believe introducing new digital technologies into the workplace will enable them to be more efficient in their role.
Dean Forbes, CEO, CoreHR commented: “People thrive when they’re challenged, but shouldn’t be pushed to breaking-point. Employers should always be mindful of setting clear goals as well as boundaries. Providing strong support networks for employees is especially important.
“Job satisfaction and well-being go hand-in-hand with better performance, creativity and how well colleagues cooperate. Specifically, smarter HR technologies that give people more ownership over their careers are an incredibly powerful enabler and time-saver. Providing your talent with substandard technology is tantamount to making their jobs harder by causing delays, operating problems and significant workplace stress.”
With the estimated cost of employee turnover between 100-300% of the replaced employee’s salary[1], the findings of the research emphasise the huge impact poor talent management can also have on an organisation’s bottom-line. Half (49%) of respondents would not hesitate to leave their current employer if their career expectations were not met. Half of respondents (51%) have also felt let down by their employer in the last six months.
Forbes continues: “The assumption that employees who continually work long hours are simply showing their commitment is a dangerous one. Failure to develop and support smart talent in reaching their full potential not only makes your employees want to head for the door, but leads towards a vicious cycle of turnover. This makes it equally painful to attract more. The reality is that business leaders need to use smarter technologies to make it easier for employees to perform under pressure whilst also maintaining a healthy work-life balance.”
[1] Harvard Business Review - Technology Can Save Onboarding from Itself