Startup Life/Hiring & Workforce/Analysis/ Why do people leave startups? A new survey of UK tech workers explores the reasons they quit their jobs By Amy Lewin 23 August 2022 \Startup Life How we grew our team 5x without spending £1 on recruitment By Molly Johnson-Jones 30 January 2023 Startup Life/Hiring & Workforce/Analysis/ Why do people leave startups? A new survey of UK tech workers explores the reasons they quit their jobs By Amy Lewin 23 August 2022 No manager wants one of their star team members to resign. But resign they do — and increasingly often. So, why do so many people have itchy feet? A new report from UK talent consultancy ISL Talent digs into the reasons why tech talent swaps jobs. Spoiler: it most often boils down to three things — compensation, culture and career progression. 200 people who have moved roles at UK startups and scaleups in March to June this year were surveyed. They ranged from junior to senior talent, were evenly split across all age brackets, predominantly identified as men (75%) and many of them worked in product and engineering, or management roles. Here’s what they said. Career progression 79% of respondents said they left their role because they were dissatisfied with how their career was progressing. 29% said the one thing they wanted more than anything else in regards to career progression was a development plan with clear targets, while 19% said that receiving ongoing feedback and regular reviews was key. 18% said that getting quality and plentiful learning and development opportunities was top of their list. Culture 82% said that communication is a very important part of company culture, while 78% said that the team and office environment plays a big role too. Only 21% of respondents said that having a clear company mission and values wasn’t important. 71% called out their relationship with their direct manager as a reason for jumping ship — which makes sense, given that a huge majority of Sifted’s readers feel that startup managers are often poorly equipped to manage. Compensation Not getting paid enough is another big reason for leaving a job. 72% of respondents said that dissatisfaction with their salary and rewards prompted them to quit. The most important part of a rewards package — for 92% of respondents — is salary. Holiday allowance is a big consideration for 75% of people, with pensions making the cut for 66%. 76% of people surveyed would rather ditch all other rewards on offer to secure a higher salary. What tech talent is looking for If you’re one of the lucky startups on a hiring spree, here’s what you should bear in mind. 91% of respondents said that working in a sector they’re passionate about is extremely important 88% said that the role itself and the learning opportunities it presented was a key consideration 82% said they had to be passionate about the product itself While 81% said they had to believe in the founder of the company they’d be joining The ability to work remotely is also a huge factor for the majority of employees now, with 83% expecting regular remote work as standard. 77% also care about having flexible start and finish times, while 72% of respondents are drawn to companies with no set working hours. 👉 Read: The best UK startups for digital nomads Amy Lewin is Sifted’s editor. She tweets @amyrlewin Related Articles France expands tech talent visa scheme and targets expats By Freya Pratty Click here to read more Why France needs fewer geeks By Marie Mawad and Adam Green Click here to read more Balderton raises new $400m fund to invest in more European heavy-hitters By Amy Lewin Click here to read more How to scale in a downturn Sponsored by Scede Click here to read more Most Read 1 \Startup Life Tech Nation shutting down as UK government controversially pulls key funding 2 \Healthtech Spotify founder Daniel Ek officially launches new startup — and this time, he’s taking on healthcare 3 \Fintech Monzo revenues surge more than twofold, putting it on track for 2023 profitability 4 \Consumer Glovo lays off 6% of staff following fresh fine from Spanish government 5 \Startup Life Meet the UiPath alumni starting their own companies
Balderton raises new $400m fund to invest in more European heavy-hitters By Amy Lewin Click here to read more