Despite Job Dissatisfaction, Most Professionals Plan to Stay With Current Employer

Even though business executives from around the world may be disgruntled with their jobs, most are planning to sit tight in their positions at least for now.

Accenture recently conducted an online survey of 3,900 business executives from medium to large companies in 31 countries and found that:


More than half of both the women (57 percent) and men (59 percent) surveyed are dissatisfied with their jobs. But even so . . .


More than two-thirds (69 percent) of all respondents said they do not plan to leave their current employers. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) cited flexible work arrangements as the reason for staying put.


Underscoring earlier research which indicated a growing concern for work-life balance, the majority (59 percent) of respondents reported having some type of flexible work schedule. More than four in ten (44 percent) of this group said they have used flexible work options for more than three years.


Most respondents said they are taking a variety of steps to actively manage their careers. These steps include: accepting a different role or responsibility (cited by 58 percent of respondents), receiving more education or training (46 percent) and working longer hours (36 percent).


Perception of barriers to career advancement can vary significantly. Almost one-third (32 percent) cited no barriers to their advancement. Others cited a lack of opportunity or a clear career path (42 percent) and family responsibilities (20 percent).

How can companies improve job satisfaction among workers who don't want to leave? Adrian Lajtha, Accenture's chief leadership officer, suggests investing in training and leadership development.

"Despite current challenges, employees are still striving for success and energized, engaged employees remain a competitive advantage," he said. "Since the majority of today's professionals are not job hunting, leading companies must capitalize on this moment in time to equip their people with clearly defined career paths that include innovative training, leadership development and opportunities for advancement."

The full report on the research, called The Path Forward, is available here.