Why do half of third sector workers want a new job?

Hopefully you’ll have seen the results of SCVO’s third sector workforce survey launched at the Gathering. Maybe you were even one of the hundreds of third sector workers who filled it in. I’d wanted to do something around how people feel about working in the sector for a long time. Judging by the number of respondents - and the amount of thought and detail in the responses – it’s clearly something people feel strongly about. Looking at the results, luckily for most people the good far outweighs the bad, with huge levels of job satisfaction and hundreds of positive comments about working in the sector:

• 9 in 10 respondents are happy with the nature of their work
• 3 in 4 are happy with general job satisfaction, relationships with colleagues and relationships with their employer.

However, not everything is rosy. Many people used the opportunity to let off a bit of steam, often with good reason:

• 2 in 5 respondents are unhappy about pay
• 2 in 5 respondents are unhappy about job security
• 1 in 10 respondents have taken time off due to stress

None of us joined the third sector for the big bucks, but people need to be able to live off their wages

Many respondents said the survey was the first time they had a chance to express how they feel about working in the sector and no doubt some grievances were aired. I’m sure we’ve all had a Friday afternoon drinks/moan-about-work-session with colleagues with no intention of actually resigning on Monday. Yet the survey found that half of all respondents plan to look for a new job in the coming year. Half! That is much higher than in other sectors and very worrying. We need to ask why. When I compared the responses of those looking for new jobs against those who were not there were clear differences. While those looking to leave were less satisfied across all aspects of their work as the below graph shows the difference is most pronounced around pay, training and job security. The 2010 funding cuts had a major impact on staffing, with many skilled people forced to leave the sector. Given ever-tightening public sector budgets, it looks likely that this brain drain will continue. Shrinking budgets mean many facing redundancy or not seeing their contracts renewed. Shrinking staff numbers and increased demand are leaving remaining staff stressed and over-stretched. As a sector we need to be pro-active before our best people leave the sector and their knowledge and enthusiasm leaves with them. None of us joined the third sector for the big bucks, but people need to be able to live off their wages. We need to look at non-financial incentives such as flexible working and non-monetary benefits alongside investing in proper training and career development support. We need to make sure people feel valued by management. We need to address stress. We also need to try and reduce the constant fear and pressure people feel as annual budgets are allocated by continuing to push for longer term funding that will give staff a bit more security. And we really, really, need to recognise the difference between people just letting off steam and big red flashing warning signs. You can find the full analysis of our workforce survey here.