What you need to know
- The 2021 Work Trend Index is here.
- It predicts that 41% of workers are considering leaving their current employers.
- It estimates 64% of new employees with less than one year under their belts are struggling in their positions.
Spicy annual labor statistics are here to once again validate your aggrievement with your current employer while also reminding you that things aren't going to change for the better anytime soon. That's the beauty of the 2021 Work Trend Index, which outlines all the usual items you'd expect when hearing from workers in an honest capacity. Additionally, it throws in a few pandemic-themed bones to give 2021's results a slightly different flavor from labor studies of years prior.
Here are the Work Trend Index's seven major findings:
- Flexible, remote, and hybrid work arrangements aren't going anywhere post-pandemic.
- Leaders are out of touch with their underlings and need a reality check.
- High productivity is an illusion and the workforce behind it is very tired.
- Gen Z is being neglected and needs a helping hand.
- Networks are shrinking as a result of the pandemic cutting people off from each other.
- Authenticity is valuable.
- Talent can be found everywhere thanks to remote work.
Leaders aren't suffering like the grunts? Work-life balances are in jeopardy because companies love to push their workhorse employees to the bone? Hard to believe as it is, these are the findings of the 2021 Work Trend Index.
- "Would you say there is a reasonable balance between what you contribute to Microsoft and what you get in return?" Two-thirds of Microsoft employees say YES — as AI engineers get preferential compensation packages.
- Microsoft employees are hit once more by layoffs across multiple groups, including gaming
"Today, our research shows that 41 percent of the global workforce is likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year, with 46 percent planning to make a major pivot or career transition," the report reads, highlighting the consequence of all the items listed above. When people aren't happy with their place in the current deck of career cards, it seems they're more likely to try giving it a reshuffle.
For more research brought to the masses by Microsoft, check out its findings on the status of tech support scams in 2021 as well as its science-based confirmation that workers need breaks.
