Gartner Talent Survey Finds Australian Workers Put Increased Value on Quality of Colleagues

SYDNEY, Australia, December 12, 2019 — Co-worker quality has jumped eight places to rank third in the list of reasons Australians cite for leaving their job, according to Gartner, Inc. A recent Gartner survey found that 82% of employees report they need to collaborate closely with their colleagues in order to get work done. In a stretched workforce, employees know they can’t afford to have their performance hindered by co-workers who are not pulling their weight.

The Gartner 3Q19 Global Talent Monitor report reveals Australian employees’ job-seeking behavior increased 3.6% from the previous quarter. At the same time, workers’ intent to stay with their current employer fell 3.6%.

“In normal conditions, a slight rise in job seeking behavior after the midyear point would not be a concern, but with talks of recession and a flat job market showing no sign of picking up, the fact that employees are ready to jump ship into murky waters should set alarm bells ringing for employers,” said Aaron McEwan, vice president in the HR practice at Gartner.

Employees today have a clear advantage when it comes to scouting their next career move. Gartner research found 59% of candidates feel they are well-informed about the company they are going to apply to. Compared with 2011, candidates now use three times as many information sources when looking for their next role. Thanks to the rise of sites such as Glassdoor, Fairygodboss and LinkedIn, they have more visibility into what other companies offer in terms of new colleagues and development opportunities. 

Understanding employee performance drivers 

According to Mr. McEwan, the next few months will serve as a crucial period for employers to demonstrate their understanding, respect and commitment to employee needs.  

Respect rose four places to be the No. 1 driver of attrition, followed by development opportunities, which rose two places and is now the No. 2 reason Australian employees cite for leaving their current organization.

“In a workforce where respect, co-worker quality and development opportunities are highly valued, and where poor performance and behavior are not tolerated, organizations must ensure they’re building and supporting high-performing teams and managing poor performance where necessary,” Mr. McEwan said.

Adapting performance management for effective collaborative work

Gartner research reveals that efforts to use performance management to improve the effectiveness of collaboration typically fail as employees struggle to see a clear individual benefit to effective collaboration, or they don’t understand the specific actions necessary for effective collaboration. 

“Organizations should be evaluating the overall performance of a team and not just the individual; ensuring that the whole team is performing and supporting each other,” said Mr. McEwan.

Gartner says organizations can overcome barriers to collaboration by:

• Appealing to employees’ own self-interest, by showing that collaboration is a tool they can use to achieve their individual goals
• Communicating which actions, not just attributes, employees must demonstrate to collaborate effectively
• Ensuring the performance management process helps employees identify specific individuals they must collaborate with and recognize those individuals who collaborate effectively

Global Talent Monitor data is drawn from the larger Gartner Global Labor Market Survey that is made up of more than 30,000 employees in 40 countries, including 1,417 in Australia this quarter. The survey is conducted quarterly and is reflective of market conditions during the quarter preceding publication.

About the Gartner HR Practice

The Gartner HR practice brings together the best, relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at http://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR Practice on Twitter and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.

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