While "career cushioning" is among the newer lingo grabbing attention in the workplace, it appears to have grown in prominence, global recruitment firm Robert Walters finds.
Sixty-eight percent of the U.S. workforce is career cushioning, defined by Robert Walters as actively seeking new career prospects to "soften the blow" should anything happen with the current job.
"Professionals are acutely aware of the difficulties organizations are facing due to challenging economic conditions, but interestingly it seems the way these companies are dealing with these challenges is what is affecting employees most," Peter Milne, managing director of Robert Walters North America, said in a news release shared with Becker's. Consequently, more than half of the workforce is engaging in career cushioning, "actively seeking roles that offer increased levels of fulfillment."
When asked what steps workers were taking to cushion their careers, actively applying for jobs (67 percent) and monitoring the jobs market (53 percent) were the top tactics. Nearly half of workers (48 percent) said low job satisfaction was causing them to career cushion. Twenty-eight percent said lack of job security was causing them to do so.
Mr. Milne added that "employees who engage in career cushioning may not necessarily leave their current positions." However, "it is crucial for employers to understand the importance of accurately benchmarking salaries to remain competitive in the current business landscape."
He also advised employers to examine their overall employee benefits and offerings to ensure they are in the best spot to retain and attract top talent.
Robert Walters' findings are based on a poll of 2,500 U.S. white-collar professionals within the disciplines for which the firm recruits at Robert Walters U.S. These disciplines include accounting and finance, legal, risk, compliance, human resources, technology and sales and marketing. The survey was carried out in June.
Read the analysis in full here.