I recently employed a BDM who had been with the same company for 15 years. We were discussing if he was any better thought of than those who had only been with the company for 2, his response was “no, I felt more at home in the first week with SmartWatch than I did in the latter years of my previous role”
Which got me thinking, does longevity really matter in today’s job-hopping market?
According to research by the nomis official labour market statistics, longevity is becoming a thing of the past and professional pivoting is on the rise.
The study shows the median number of years today’s average worker has been at his or her current employer is 4.2 years. That is down slightly from 4.6 years in January 2014 and is down significantly from 1996 when nearly half of all workers in the UK had been with their employer for 10 years or more. What this means is that longevity is becoming less common, so the rare breed of individuals who stay with an employer for five-plus years are viewed as loyal and reliable to potential employers.
I’ve been with SmartWatch for 7 years and we have people in the business that have been here longer, longevity matters to us as it shows loyalty, dependability, growth, and motivation. All characteristics highly desirable by any employer. In addition, the high cost of frequent turnover in staff is often unseen.
So why don’t businesses reward or recognise longevity?
SmartWatch rewards all employees who reach the 10-year milestone, unfortunately in the security industry this is not very common, as guards move between companies for an additional pence per hour.
We recognise that job longevity should be rewarded with the gift of a watch (It is a very nice watch too) and a signed, framed, certificate, highlighting their achievement.
Both Graham Copley (right) and Nadeem Arif have achieved over 10 years’ service and they are not the only ones, for a business only established in 2006 this is a great achievement and one that we are proud of.
So, does job longevity matter? For me, yes it does!
It means that you are creating an atmosphere where employees enjoy coming to work each day. It matters as it gives a business loyalty, dependability, growth, and motivated employees who understand company values and vision.