Hate working, hate looking, new Jobsite research reveals a disgruntled UK workforce

New Jobsite recruitment framework matches candidates to companies that culturally fit

UK survey of over 5,000 job seekers reveals:

52% of the workforce dislike looking for a new job

37% of the UK workforce currently donít enjoy work

47% would like to change industries

30% of workers would resign if offered a more enjoyable job
In contrast, 26% are motivated by salary increases and 23% by promotion

41% use the Internet as a method for job searching

12% of employees quit their job in the first 3 months of employment, costing UK companies 2.5 billon per year

New research launched today by Jobsite, reveals an increasingly disgruntled UK workforce. The survey reveals that 37% of the UK workforce do not enjoy their time at work and that 47% would be interested in working in a different industry. The prime motivations encouraging people to seek work elsewhere are led by the desire for a more enjoyable job, with salary increase and promotion opportunities coming second and third place respectively. However, when motivated to look for new employment, 52% find the job search process frustrating.

The survey, commissioned by online recruiter, Jobsite, surveyed 5,000 UK job seekers from across a variety of sectors to investigate how they were finding the job hunting process and how recruitment methods can be improved. This was followed by a series of in-depth focus groups with job hunters to explore these frustrations even further. These sessions revealed that cultural mis-match between companies and workers is the primary reason why workers end their relationship with a company.

Based on these findings, Jobsite has launched a new recruitment framework to help job seekers better understand their work motivations, providing them with critical information and insight into their own preferences to help them find a company whose company culture will best match their own. Designed in conjunction with Dr Paul Morgan, the new framework provides candidates with a far greater appreciation of their own values, motivations and workplace preferences to help create a better informed match between the candidate and the employer. Unlike many ëpersonalityí tests, the new Jobsite framework goes beneath the surface descriptions of different work types and identifies the deeper world of workerís views, recognising that peopleís values and motivational drivers are fluid and will change according to life circumstances. Jobsite has piloted this new technique internally which contributed to the companyís recognition in the Sunday Times Best Place to Work awards. Jobsite is now taking the framework to job seekers and recruiters to improve ëemployee and employer equilibriumí.

Keith Potts, Jobsite CEO, comments: ìOn average 12%1 of people quit a new job in the first three months costing UK companies 2.5 billion2 per year. At the moment there are very few tools out there to help candidates find a company which culturally fits them. For most companies and candidates it is still a case of trial by error once the job offer is on the table. At Jobsite we recognise that different people want different things from their work life and are motivated by different factors and we believe that this needs to become a much more significant factor in the recruitment process. Company productivity is tightly linked to how motivating a work environment is. If the company culture conflicts with the workerís business bosses are in danger of creating a toxic work environment for all.î

Dr Paul Morgan, comments: ìJobsiteís new framework has a profound link to recognised work life segments in academic research known as Gravesian psychology which I have been working with for almost ten years. The theory identifies very distinct value systems which may evolve through time. Each value system has different preferences and motivations. I could not believe it when I saw the Jobsite research. Jobsite have independently identified different job seeking values that closely match those of Graves. This is a first. By providing candidates with this high quality information Jobsite will help more people to find a job where they wish to stay and contribute fully. Good for the candidate and great for the employer. This is a significant breakthrough.î

Mike Gawthorne, Operations Director, Advanced Resource Managers (ARM) said: ìTrying to help people find the right job is never easy because many people are not sure what kind of job they are after. Any tools or techniques which can better empower workers or employers to define what they are looking for can only improve our effectiveness. Hopefully, this new way of thinking will be adopted by all as I think it will make a massive difference on how people feel about the job hunting processî.