According to the poll of 950 workers commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers, of those respondents who said their employer had shown appreciation for them in the downturn, 41% said they had no plans to leave as a consequence of this loyalty while just 23% said they would consider leaving regardless.
Only 7% of respondents said they did not understand how their role fits within the big picture of the organisation they work for so lack of engagement seems more strongly linked to feeling appreciated than a lack of belonging.
Michael Rendell, partner and leader, human resource services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "Workers' ambitions to find new roles could be good news in terms of creating movement and opportunities in a rather stagnant labour market and within companies - organisations will need to strike a balance between enjoying the reduction in employment costs that attrition can bring with the need to avoid overstretching existing staff.
"New Year is clearly a popular time for people to make important decisions. Rather than losing their best people as individuals resolve to make changes to further their careers, organisations need to articulate the internal options available to top performers and remind workers why they chose to work for their employer in the first place - be that a competitive salary, interesting work or operating with values that match their own.
"Some big employer brands fell down at the end of the ‘noughties' and the impact long-term of people decisions taken during the downturn is now being felt. The ways people are recruited, rewarded, retained, incentivised, trained and retired over the next few years will determine the employers of choice for the new decade and beyond."
