Benefits Still the Best Way to Retain Workers

The newly released Aflac Workforces 2012 Report has shown that a disturbingly high number of employees are unhappy enough to consider moving from their current employer to a new one. In fact, 49 percent of workers polled reported that they were at least somewhat likely to search for new employment at some point during the year. Of those workers, 27 percent said that they were very likely or extremely likely to seek new employment within the next 12 months. And though entirely subjective, most of the employees expressing a high desire to find new jobs said that are the types of employees that companies should retain  in order to stay competitive.

Employees who reported that their companies were not reputed to be good places to work said that there were extremely likely to resign within the next year 35 percent of the time. This statistic is backed by recent findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which has reported that resignation have been consistently rising since December 2009.

Yet employees were also quick to share how their employers can act to keep them at their posts: better benefits packages. About half of respondents said that an improved benefits package is the best thing their current employer could do to retain them. About one-third said that benefits packages were very influential or extremely influential in deciding whether or not to stay on. Employees who reported to being very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their benefits were nine times more likely to remain with their current company. What’s more, nearly three-quarters of that number said that they were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs.