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much less likely to have received a pay increase this year . It appears that workers are realising that the grass may not have been greener after all .”
Keeping a foot in the door
Eighty-two percent of those surveyed admitted to staying in some form of contact with a previous manager – with almost a third stating that this was for the primary purpose of keeping the door open for future job opportunities ( 29 %).
Rise of boomerang employees : 71 % of professionals open to returning to pre- COVID employer
A lmost three quarters of professionals ( 71 %) have stated that they are open to returning to their pre-COVID employer – with half admitting that the reasons as to why they left are no longer applicable in today ’ s market .
According to a recent poll from recruiter , Robert Walters , of 3,000 professionals , 45 % of workers who had left their job after lockdown did so for better pay – with a further 35 % leaving for a better workplace culture or more purpose / fulfilment in their role .
Fast-forward two years later and 48 % of professionals admit that their current employer is no longer meeting their needs – with a third stating the cost of living crisis and hybrid working fatigue
( 24 %) has changed how they feel about their most recent employment situation .
Toby Fowlston , CEO of Robert Walters , said : “ The post-pandemic bounce back saw record numbers of employees leave their job in what was billed as ‘ The Great Resignation ’. However , our research indicates the first signs of ‘ The Great Regret ’ – with 71 % of professionals stating that they would like to return to their pre-COVID employer , a mere 18 months after leaving .
“ Across 2021 we saw record pay rises offered to professionals , with promises of an uber flexible and hybrid culture . Come 2023 and these pay rises now pale in comparison to the rising cost of living and inflation – with those new starters who were offered inflated salaries being
In fact – a quarter of professionals have admitted to reaching out to a previous employer in the past year regarding job opportunities , with a further 11 % stating that they have not done it yet but intend to this year .
Less than one in five employees have completely shut the door on previous employers , with 18 % stating that they keep zero contact with their previous manager .
Managers hesitant
While the sentiment may be there from professionals , it seems the same cannot be said for managers – in fact 44 % admit to being hesitant in allowing an old employee back into the team , with just a fifth stating that they would
“
IT APPEARS
THAT WORKERS ARE REALISING THAT THE GRASS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN GREENER AFTER ALL .
only consider it if they had been an ‘ exceptional employee ’.
Fowlston added : “ I ’ m afraid managers / employers need to swallow their pride here . While the global recruitment market has slowed slightly in 2023 , candidate shortages continue – and so the fact there is a pool of talent open to re-joining business should excite leaders .” �
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