3 in 5 employees look for new jobs at work

Many do it during work hours at their current gig without feeling any guilt

BY Nurhuda Syed 19 Mar 2020

Three in five employees (60%) in Singapore have searched for new career opportunities or spoken with a recruiter during working hours.

Out of which, 49% of them do not feel any pang of guilt for doing so.

Almost half of employees (46%) admitted using their company’s computer to browse for new opportunities, displaying a level of composure.

The Randstad study conducted by YouGov spoke to over 1,000 employees and found that:

35% had taken a call from a recruiter at work
36% browsed for jobs on their personal mobile phones during working hours
20% had even taken time off to attend interviews during working hours — outside of their lunch time
21% had attended job interviews during lunch time

“In general, job seekers would likely feel less guilty for taking a phone interview with a recruiter or an interviewer during working hours, as they tend to perceive phone interviews to be less serious than face-to-face,” said Jaya Dass, Managing Director, Singapore and Malaysia at Randstad.

She added that as candidates usually do not have to prepare too much for a phone interview as only simple questions will be asked, especially if it’s just to shortlist them for an official in-person interview, many will be more open to taking the call during working hours.

This is particularly true when employees are disengaged and have lost interest in their current job.

“However, this sentiment may change slightly given the COVID-19 outbreak,” she said. “More employers and candidates are opting for phone and video interviews to minimise any risks of transmission.

“This would mean that these digital modes would have a higher weightage and more candidates are starting to take them more seriously.”

What triggers guilt in employees
Besides understanding job search behaviours, the survey also explored other actions by employees that may trigger a sense of guilt.

More than one in three respondents (37%) feel guilty for bringing office stationery home, viewing non-work related websites in the office and taking extended lunch breaks.

The survey also revealed that more mature employees tend to feel guilty than younger workers. Almost half (45%) of staffers above 55 years old feel guilty for bringing office stationery home, compared to 30% of those aged between 18 and 34 years old.