Over half of young managers are dissatisfied with their jobs and would consider changing them, according to research by leadership development organisation Common Purpose.
The organisation is warning that junior managers are looking to move on because they feel their careers are stalling where they currently work due to a lack of suitable training.
Such a move would hurt small businesses more than most, as they tend to rely more on individual managers to hold teams together and build new business.
The Time for a change? report revealed that while nearly all young managers had received training and felt it rewarding in terms of enhancing their career prospects, only a third felt it gave them more job fulfilment and claimed it fell short of addressing wider aspirations and life goals.
Over half of those questioned wanted training that would provide access to diverse experiences and the chance to meet people outside their own sector, the research added. Peer-to-peer learning and external experiences would also help with this.
“These findings may not have proved a huge concern to employers even just a few years ago,” says Julia Middleton, founder and chief executive of Common Purpose.
“But in today’s world organisations either create an environment in which young managers are truly free to manage and make change, or they must face the consequences.
“It’s abundantly clear from the findings that ‘ticking the box’ with training and development programmes simply isn’t enough. If they don’t help their talent to flourish, someone else will.”
The research also revealed a lack of understanding on how to access such training. Three-quarters of junior managers said they had considered ways to make their job more fulfilling but one in three said they had no idea as to where to go for such opportunities.
It also highlighted a lack of support from employers, with 84% saying their company had not helped them address this issue.
