A report says Covid-19 has forced many workers to rethink their careers and futures.
According to Kaspersky’s “Securing the Future of Work” report, 44 percent of employees in South Africa are thinking of shifting to a new job in the next 12 months.
It appears that lockdown and remote working have offered many an opportunity to reflect on their future careers, upskill or learn something new.
The two biggest drivers that people stated for wanting to change jobs are wanting to earn a higher salary (57 percent) and maintaining a better work-life balance (44 percent). While just over a third of employees would prefer to remain in their current position (39 percent), many feel compelled to restructure their workdays to fit better around their personal lives.
For many employees, the pandemic uncovered the benefit of spending more time at home with the family, as well as pursuing personal interests and hobbies. Employees want to continue enjoying this benefit in the long term.
After salary and personal comfort, looking for a role that is worthwhile and more meaningful is the third most important reason given (43 percent), followed by wanting to reduce stress or working overtime (33 percent) and pursuing a job for enjoyment (26 percent).
Sergey Martsynkyan, head of B2B product marketing at Kaspersky, says, “By rethinking their desires and capabilities, people will create a new working reality. Either changing jobs or staying in their current roles, they will strive to maintain the benefits of remote work and more comfortable settings. But to achieve this, employees need to apply the appropriate attitude, learn to be flexible, and work smarter. And of course, they need to organise their working environment and take responsibility for its reliability and security. After all, this can even become a competitive advantage in employers’ eyes.”
