In days gone by, people were happy to stick to an organization for a decade or more, often starting and ending their careers with a single company. That concept of permanency does not exist anymore. Job hopping is on the rise and becoming extremely common. A survey by staffing firm Robert Half found that 64% of workers favour job-hopping, a 22% increase from just four years ago.

1. What Do Employees Seek… Job Hopping!!
In days gone by, people were happy to stick to an organization for a decade or more, often
starting and ending their careers with a single company. That concept of permanency does not
exist anymore. Job hopping is on the rise and becoming extremely common. A survey by
staffing firm Robert Half found that 64% of workers favour job-hopping, a 22% increase from just
four years ago.
The belief used to be that you need to give a job at least a year or three to learn it before
moving on. Potential employers would look unfavourably upon job-hopping. Today, the stigma
around switching jobs no longer exists does not act as a deterrent. Many factors and
perspectives may have led to this change in the workforce. If you, as an employee or employer,
are worried about this trend, you're right to be concerned.
Industry-wise Job Hoppers
Often, those who come to my desk for a job, are people who didn’t plan on being in this industry
but have somehow grown into that position. It is often not a choice willingly taken since it is not
a comfortable job at all. That being said, stability is paramount in the housekeeping industry and
one of the main reasons why I, personally, find it hard to hire a job hopper. In our industry, a
person must be tenacious since our job is very tough to deliver.
When speaking to candidates who have spent little time with companies before moving on, I
have found that their explanations are often very detailed and logical but it still leaves behind a
negative impression. If they were capable or dedicated enough, they might have gone the
distance with that organisation. Or the next one. In such a scenario, it is very difficult to pick a
job hopper as it indicates that they either don't know their role well enough or are unable to
handle pressure or tough situations.
Change in Value System
Candidates alone are not to blame for such changes to the workforce. The value system that
would help retain people is no longer in existence. There is no glory attached to sticking with a
job. Previously, sticking with a job for a long time was an important criterion denoting good work
or a suitable potential hire but now, it is not such an important factor.
Companies are quick to downsize and are more changeable in nature, with frequent corporate
changes. With the way employment and retention are understood, accepted and handled, there
is a big fluctuation that results in instability for organisations and employees. In these conditions,
it is not possible to maintain the principles of retaining and investing in their best talent.
More than Salary
When we first started, we would write a bond or contract with new joiners but those practices do
not work anymore. Employers need to change how they deal with human assets and encourage
them to stay so that job-hopping doesn’t become the norm. Companies are not investing in
people, nor are people investing in companies.

2. Forward-thinking companies have created a fun and engaging atmosphere with several perks
attached to working there, whether they are a junior or senior level employee. Perks like these
help attract and retain desirable employees who would pass up on a better-paying salary to
work with organisations such as these.
Siloed Roles
Another possible reason younger people are less eager to stick with one company is that they
are restricted to a particular functional job that is process-driven and closed off. These siloed
roles do not provide much in the way of learning, experience or skills. It doesn't matter whom
they work with as long as they can plug in and perform the same role, with their presence, or
lack thereof, barely affecting the organization. The work requirements do not demand any
learning on the person’s part and the bar of entry is low enough not to pose a problem. With that
as a prerogative, sticking to a job is no longer a requirement or issue.
There is a distinct lack of a thrill to the game that tells them that if they stayed, this is what they
would learn, acquire or grow into. They can’t envision a career path with the company since it
doesn’t matter where they work. That being the case, it leaves them with salary as the only form
of compensation.
Beneficial Job Hopping
According to the 2019 Akumina Millennial Manager Workplace Survey, 75% of millennials
believe that constantly changing jobs advances their careers. And in certain cases, it could be
true. Short stints with companies can be useful when they add to an employee’s profile or lead
them down their preferred career path. For example, a visual merchandiser working in retail
might be responsible for the look and feel of the products in the store but feel their career
plateauing. A move to Operations allows them to coordinate with different business units at a
lower salary but also better long-term growth opportunities.
Changes such as these are very favourable when your career path is well-planned out with a
strategy and a roadmap that matches it. A healthy approach to job-hopping would be to stick to
each step for a suitable period and then take the next step.
Gearing Up for the Future
Some practices are hard to change. Job hopping is already widely in evidence, especially
amongst the younger workforce. We can either fight it, admit it, or embrace it. It is up to us to
prepare for this change. Too few companies create career progression plans and invest in
human asset growth. Retaining staff is already the go-to proposition. We need more
departments committed to succession and career planning, assessment centres and career
counselling.
As employers, we need to develop a strategy to derive sustained quality and deliverables from
our staff. Whatever we deliver to our customers is dependent upon the consistency internally.
The consistency that is affected by attrition or change.