Do we consider it a failure if people leave our employ after ‘only’ two years?
According to CareerBuilder (Oct 2021) the average tenure for each age demographic is as follows:
- Gen Z’s (age 6-24) 2 years and 3 months.
- Millennials (25-40) 2 years and 9 months
- Gen Xers (41-56) 5 years and 2 months
- Baby boomers (57-75) 8 years and 3 months
Job hopping is healthy in my opinion and shouldn’t count against someone when going for a new role providing the reasons are valid.
I would rather have somebody for two years that has added masses of value, enjoyed working for us and goes on to be successful elsewhere.
It shouldn’t be seen as a retention issue or a drain on time and resources training them only for them to leave after what is deemed a ‘short’ period of time.
People want variety, change, training and development and can gain this by moving around.
Equally, if someone has stayed with a business for ‘too’ long they can be deemed a ‘lifer’ and not able to adapt to a new environment.
Let’s stop looking at time spent in a role and focus on what people have DELIVERED for an organisation and assess a) how they will add value if they join and b) what we can do for them whilst they are with us.
If you are thinking about what your next procurement or supply chain role might be, take a look at Procurement Heads‘ current procurement jobs.
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