It's Time To Turn Over The Turnovers
A recent and respected workforce survey has disclosed that fully a third of employees are planning to change jobs in the next six months. Chew on that for a moment. A 67% annualized turnover! What do you suppose the costs and risks of that level of churn might be, especially in a time of vulnerable customer relationships?
If this volcano does, in fact, erupt, as workplacetrends.com thinks it will, you've got some serious thinking to do.
For openers, we may be especially vulnerable in supply chain management, given: the emergence of Millennials in the workforce, the propensity of the industry to avoid competitive pay with other sectors like an incurable STD, pressures for radical change in minimum wages, and continuing talent shortages.
To a few immediate points, how deep is your bench? Do you have as many capable quarterbacks as Ohio State does to maintain performance levels? If not, what are you doing about it? Is your boss hotfooting it to greener pastures? How tight are you with a likely replacement - or with the senior management you'll need to work with in the interim?
If a colleague is shuffling off for a 15% bump plus a signing bonus, how strong, deep, and diverse is your network of project and program collaborators? Are they allies - or competitors? Is/was the departee a key confederate or trusted advisor? Who's left to lean on?
If its you jumping on the opportunity train, how competitive, talented, experienced, unique, and determined are you? Can you hold your own in an open market, or even stand out as a no-brainer first-round draft pick? Do you have a strategy? A plan? And, if you're not one of those taking advantage of a changing market and possibilities for making a difference and achieving personal gratification, why not? Should you be thinking about a positive change? Will staying be a chance to star - or to go down with the ship?
Whichever, this is not the time to be held back by inertia. Staying or leaving - either needs to result from thorough analysis, a weighing of risk and reward, and a balance of daring with commitment.