Some of the main reasons for this phenomenon begin with the face-to-face return to work centers, adjusting to schedules, loss of home office, health risks and relationships with undesirable colleagues, among others.
But it’s not just the pandemic to blame – after all, what it did was just expose the problem. The first reason so many people are leaving their jobs is because in 2020 resignations were stifled by uncertainty. That is, everyone was holding on to their jobs, even if they were unhappy in these, because they were afraid of not finding anything else.
This has prompted business leaders to face challenges in this regard, such as improving employee retention and job satisfaction, creating more innovative, collaborative and productive workplaces and, they recognize in curiosity, an increasingly valuable skill. to achieve it in the age of the Great Renunciation.
Curiosity is increasingly required by organizations according to a recent report SAS Curiosity @ Work, an investigation by the leader in analytics SAS, which surveyed nearly 2,000 executives worldwide and analyzed data from LinkedIn over the past year. .
The report defines curiosity as the impulse to seek new information, experiences and explore new possibilities, highlighting the importance of this trait regardless of the role or level of the employee in the organization. According to the study, almost three-quarters of managers believe that curiosity is a very valuable skill, and more than half fully agree that it generates a real impact on the business, such as employees who are more curious have a higher yield.
According to data from LinkedIn, from one year to the next there was a 158% increase in activity related to publications and articles that mention curiosity, and that they shared with their colleagues; a 90% growth in the job offers that mention it and an 87% growth in the reference of skills related to curiosity.
“Our research highlights that curiosity is not just a good thing; it has become a business imperative that helps companies address critical challenges and drive innovation, “said Jay Upchurch, Chief Information Officer, SAS.
In the environment of the Great Resignation, managers recognize that it is difficult to maintain high morale and motivation of employees, as well as face the challenges of retaining good employees, getting them to go beyond the basic tasks of the job and promote collaboration with other teams and departments. However, many of the benefits associated with curiosity directly address these business challenges. Study participants agreed that the most valuable benefits of curiosity include increased efficiency and productivity; more creative thinking and solutions; greater collaboration and teamwork; and greater employee engagement and job satisfaction.
For a company to be successful in the next three years, managers say their organization needs employees with technical expertise in the areas of artificial intelligence and data analytics, as well as personal attributes such as creative thinking and problem solving. However, they also say that it is difficult for them to find collaborators with this combination of necessary technical skills and personal attributes, such as curiosity.
However, not all managers agree on its inherent value, and many organizations struggle to promote and capitalize on it effectively in their day-to-day operations. Companies that have embraced curiosity often encourage curiosity through curiosity rewards in performance reviews, allowing the use of work time to explore projects they are passionate about, and publicly acknowledging employees who demonstrate curiosity.
In short, curiosity improves engagement and collaboration. Inquisitive people make better decisions, improve your business performance, and help it adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures; And managers know it: Curiosity is proving to be a differentiating asset that is increasingly essential to business success and performance.