New year, new career? According to a new survey by management consultancy McKinsey, a growing number of people working in Germany are dissatisfied with their jobs. Almost one in three employees is considering quitting in the next three to six months. 

Job flexibility and support as important to employees as salary

The McKinsey study “Great Attrition”, published at the end of last year, surveyed more than 16.000 respondents across nine European countries, and found that a full one-third of respondents said that they expect to quit their jobs in the next three to six months. As the study authors note, this is a particularly high proportion in Europe, where people tend to stay in their jobs long-term. 

In Germany, 1.286 people were interviewed. Of them, around 36 percent said they were dissatisfied with their managers, while 34 percent said they lacked prospects for professional development. Unsurprisingly, people said they were more likely to want to stay in a job if they received a fair salary, had reliable and helpful colleagues, and had flexibility in the workplace. This was standard across Europe. 

McKinsey states that “people” factors in particular - employees wanting to feel engaged and supported in an inclusive, welcoming and flexible environment - have grown in importance since the coronavirus pandemic. 

Employers need to act to retain workers through economic downturn

McKinsey partner Julian Kirchherr told SPIEGEL that the survey findings “should shake companies awake” as European employers battle a high job vacancy rate and a growing skills gap. “Anyone who is not making an effort to keep their employees will be hit particularly hard by the recession,” he said. 

“With inflation now at more than 10 percent, companies will have to make quick adjustments to their remuneration packages and focus on targeted personnel development.” He added that the winning formula for all companies is simple: fair wages, fair bosses and nice teams.