Let’s face it, there are some days where we just don’t want to get up and go to work – you are lying if you say otherwise. Other than those few days a year, I will say that I genuinely enjoy coming to work at our funky little offices. Why? I love the people that I work with! We are like a family here. We look out for each other, and support each other at and outside the office. In fact, compared with the company culture at other small businesses (and corporate organizations) we almost live in a protective bubble.
At Ketner Group, we also have a stellar track-record of employee retention and we are very loyal to the business. This is not the industry norm. According to a recent WebProNews article, gone are the days when we started a job after college and worked our way up the ladder until we retire at age 65. According to the article, “Not only do we have more jobs in our lifetime than any other generation before us, but we also plan to not stay in our positions.” A recent MetLife report found that only 44% of employees feel a strong sense of loyalty towards their employers and that over one-third of employees just flat-out want a different job.
If only all companies had the same protective bubble as we do at Ketner Group. Still, after reading these reports, I became intrigued. How can people “job hop” like that? I always thought having job after job listed on a resume was a negative thing – but is it really becoming the norm and acceptable? Check out these stats I found from Jobvite.com:
- Today’s average college graduate will hold 9.8 jobs, working until age 65. In California, that same graduate will hold 14.3 jobs.
- The median number of years that an average U.S. worker has been at their job – 4.4.
- Average jobs in a lifetime for men – 11.4.
- Average jobs in a lifetime for women – 10.7.
- 61% of employed workers are open to or are looking for a new job.
- Half of all new college grads believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time job.
So, it appears that the trend is this – today’s workforce always has one eye looking out for something bigger and better. For me at least, that’s not a trend I’m hopping on. My father worked for the same company for 35 years, that’s what I know and what I always hoped for my own career. I’ve been with Ketner Group since 2002 – 10 years! During that time, I’ve grown up a lot professionally. With the guidance of our fearless leader, Jeff Ketner, I learned how to be a good account manager, media relations professional, and writer. With the help of my fabulous co-workers, I learned to navigate the waters of social media and the “new” ways of doing PR and marketing. I also grew up personally here at Ketner Group – getting married, having two children and all the fun and stresses that go along with it!
As I reflect on my 10 years here at Ketner Group – one word comes to mind – grateful. This is my home away from home, and you can bet that 25 years from now I’ll still be sitting in my awesome (new, leather, big and tall, executive) chair at KG’s offices. And as for the job hoppers out there, I hope you land a job somewhere that makes you happy and satisfied – maybe you’ll find your own little protective bubble like I did.
Austin
