When Mick Jones of The Clash belted out this line in the 1991 punk classic, the state of employee morale was not his inspiration. The question, however, continues to be unanswered by at least half of Western Canada’s workforce.

According to a survey by Insights West, in which 788 working British Columbians were surveyed, more than half (55 per cent) of all BC employees are susceptible to leaving their current jobs—and pay isn’t necessarily at the heart of the issue.

Research by the BC Human Resources Management Association’s national HR Metrics Service has also discovered a similar and supporting trend. Together, the results from these two sources suggest employers should take a hard look at whether they are doing enough to prevent good employees from leaving.

Waiting for Something Better
While Insights West found relatively few BC employees are unhappy with their employer, only 25 per cent can be considered “delighted”. 55 per cent reported they would seriously consider switching to a new job (43 per cent saying they would leave if the right opportunity arose, and 12 per cent actively looking for a new job).

Meanwhile, data from the HR Metrics Service found the resignation rate (the percentage of the employer’s workforce that resigned that year) increased to 6.5 per cent in 2013—a jump of nearly a full percentage point from 2010. The proportion of employees who resigned after just 90 days on the job nearly doubled to 15.6 per cent in 2013 (from 8.4 per cent in 2010). In spite of talk and efforts to increase employee engagement, Western Canada’s workforce is talking with their feet.

Motivation is the Issue
In its survey, Insights West identified drivers such as communications from senior management, training and learning opportunities, physical work environment, and company processes and procedures as those driving staff moral and engagement the most.

The results of this satisfaction/loyalty study, combined with BC HRMA’s data on employee resignations and retention, demonstrate that being well-compensated does not necessarily guarantee that an employee will stay should a better opportunity present itself.

“We found that being rewarded for doing a good job is one of the largest determinants of a happy workforce, and that employee motivation is driven by more than just pay and benefits,” said Steve Mossop, president of Insights West. “Our survey found only six in ten of those surveyed feel they are being rewarded for doing a good job.”

“Most concerning is the notion that employees may simply be showing up to ‘punch the clock’ because they can’t find something better.”

“Employers shouldn’t ignore this, as it’s anticipated that more jobs will be created in BC in the years ahead than can be filled by the current labour market,” added Christian Codrington, senior manager, professional practice, BC HRMA. “Employers will need to look at improving overall job satisfaction if they wish to remain competitive in the labour market and keep employee resignation rates low long term.”

A copy of Insights West’s BC and Alberta baseline Employee Satisfaction Insights study is available online.

For more information on the HR Metrics Service, please visit www.hrmetricsservice.org.