The author of an article on management-issues.com spoke to several recruiters. It turns out that people working remotely find changing employers much easier.
The first factor to take into account when considering a job change (fewer barriers) is a no-brainer and there is not much you can do about this. However, the second reason – namely loyalty – is where a leader can make a real difference.
Recruiters usually believe that it is not that hard to convince someone who works remotely to move to a job that is:
- better or more interesting
- offering higher remuneration
A remote worker has few barriers when actually changing jobs and there is not much you can do about it. When someone is working from home, the conditions in a new job do not change so much. Working hours will probably be the same … the situation with commuting does not change at all. So, in the end, it is often enough just to have a small increase in salary or the chance to do slightly more interesting work.
Relationships and engagement matter
If someone is emotionally engaged with their current employer or colleagues, they will probably stay – and this applies equally to employees working remotely. If, however, remote workers are not engaged, they are far more inclined to move. This is the real difference.
It is all about having a good relationship with one's staff – and also ensuring there are good mutual relations between colleagues. Workers can be engaged with their employer or their work itself – these two things are not the same. Happy and satisfied employees are harder to win over: they usually need more than a 10-15% salary increase before they even begin to consider an alternative job offer.
-jk-