Restless legs: the pending talent shakeup and what your business can do about it.

AuthorWebb, Gaylen
PositionHuman Resources

Tom Henderson (not his real name to protect his current employment) is hungry for a job change. He lost his software sales job when his company downsized during the recession. Desperate to make ends meet, Henderson took a job far below his abilities just to get by. Now he has what you might call restless job syndrome, and with an increasing number of openings that fit his skills set, he feels confident a move is close.

"I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself," he says.

Henderson is not alone. During the recession, with jobs scarce, many of the people cut from long-standing positions had nowhere to go but down the career ladder. "The alternative is not getting another job, so they take a job they don't want, but once the economy starts to improve and job growth picks up, things look a little better so they start to move," says Mark Knold, chief economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

Pressure has certainly been building in the workforce since the recession abated, and Carly Hazen, director of recruitment for Prince, Perelson & Associates, a recruitment and placement firm that handles both local and national searches, expects a busy 2013.

"Now that we are out of the recession, many of the companies we represent are ramping up their hiring," she says. "As jobs become more plentiful, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that unhappy employees will jump ship. In reality, many workers could be planning their exit strategies right now."

The Coming Shakeup

Hazen explains that while most employees carry a genuine sense of loyalty toward their employers, when push comes to shove the employees are willing to push back, especially as the economy heats up.

"It's often tempting for companies to assume that during a rough economy their employees will just be grateful to have a job--that they would never want to leave. That can be a costly assumption," Hazen says. "As a private recruitment and placement firm, we have a unique perspective on the job market. We can see the talent shift. We know that people with tremendous abilities and diversified skill sets will always be in high demand. If these people feel they are disrespected by their employers, or if office politics or organizational segmentation gets in the way of creativity and productivity, they will seek other employment and the company's competitors will profit from that mistake."

With job growth expected to reach a stellar 4.5 percent by mid-year, some...

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