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“Rage applying” is a term used to classify the act of abruptly looking for jobs in mass due to current job dissatisfaction. This growing trend makes it more challenging to retain employees and is most prevalent amongst Generation Z, as they’re searching to have their needs met by employment more than the previous generations.
Employees are applying for jobs for a variety of reasons, including low pay, poor management, unpleasant co-workers, and feelings of being overlooked or underappreciated at their current jobs.
What this means for employers is that there are new opportunities for attraction and retention in the workplace. For some, there may need to be a shift of focus to retaining current employees by increasing employee job satisfaction. For others, the trend in rage applying may mean taking advantage of the growing applicant market. However, it will be important for most workplaces to consider a combination of attracting new employees while focusing on the needs of current workers.
This article explains why employees rage apply, what employers can do to prevent this trend in their organizations, and what opportunities for attraction they may realize from this trend.
Why Employees are Rage Applying
In order to understand this growing trend, it’s important to understand why employees rage apply, as it may be symptomatic of underlying workplace issues. The following are the most common reasons employees rage apply:
- Lack of workplace flexibility
- A feeling of not being recognized for their contributions
- No sense of belonging
- The feeling that they’re not valued or respected by managers or co-workers
Knowing why employees rage apply can help employers navigate this trend; they can understand how to best retain employees and take advantage of a larger candidate pool.
What Employers Can Do to Retain Employees
Over half of employees are considering searching for other jobs while in their current role, according to a recent Achievers Workforce Institute survey. This significantly factors into the high rate of employees rage applying. Therefore, it’s important for employers to reflect on their own workplaces to better understand why their employees may be dissatisfied with their current jobs and find meaningful ways to address those feelings in order to retain workers.
Employers seeing high rates of employee turnover or looking to focus on employee retention should consider the following:
Make employees feel heard
Employees are more likely to stay at their current workplaces if they feel their concerns and needs are heard and considered. To that end, employers may adopt policies and practices that align with employee wants, such as flexibility, a healthy work-life balance, and psychological safety. Efforts such as this will help increase retention rates.
Show employees they’re valued
Employees want to work where they feel supported and valued. This entails getting to know employees outside of just their job titles and the work they do. For example, employers can show employees they are valued by connecting with them on a personal level, whether that’s through a weekly lunch or virtual check-ins unrelated to work topics.
Recognize the work employees are doing
Employee recognition is one of the biggest factors contributing to an employee’s decision to leave an organization. In order to show employees their hard work and contributions are valued, employers can provide positive feedback and praise employees when they’re performing well, and consider teamwide recognition during meetings. Employers can also implement formal employee recognition as a way to recognize employee achievements.
Attraction Opportunities for Employers
While rage applying may cause issues in employee retention, it can be beneficial for attracting new employees from other organizations who are dissatisfied with their current jobs. In other words, rage applying could offer opportunities for organizations to discover new talent. However, employers must remember to continue focusing on the retention factors within their organizations to prevent cyclical turnover.
With this in mind, employers can search the growing talent pool and showcase the offerings their workplaces may have, such as workplace flexibility benefits and the organization’s values. Another piece to consider is the employee value proposition (EVP). An EVP is one of the ways a company can attract employees and keep them engaged, as it includes the benefits and rewards employees receive. Reevaluating the EVP may help to strengthen and highlight everything a workplace values and has to offer applicants. The stronger the EVP, the more likely an employer is to retain and attract employees.
Summary
Rage applying has led many employees to search for jobs that better align with their needs and values. While this may present challenges to employers, such as employee turnover, there are opportunities for growth, including implementing employee retention strategies, improving workplace culture and employee satisfaction, and attracting new talent.
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