Belgians are Europe’s most loyal employees, according to a recent study by human resource specialist, SD Worx.
Seventy-two percent of the thousand respondents from Belgium claimed they wouldn’t want to change their employer. Only 8% are actively seeking new job opportunities.
The survey involved 16,011 workers from ten European countries.
In Belgium, aside from the majority uninterested in changing employment, 20% passively expressed openness to the idea.
Comparatively, one in five Polish workers (21%) are looking for job opportunities elsewhere. This includes 16% of Italian and Irish respondents, and 15% from Spanish and Swiss respondents. Swedish and Norwegians followed, with 14% pursuing other professional horizons.
“Belgians value job security highly. Therefore, an involuntary dismissal or departure greatly impacts them. Some experience dismissal as a severe emotional setback that triggers a grieving process,” says Laure Bertrand from SD Worx. Hence, it’s essential to offer good support during contract terminations, she points out.
In Belgium, as of 2014, employers have been obliged to offer outplacement in the case of dismissing a worker over the age of 45. While 73% of respondents greatly welcomed this provision, only 6% were aware of its existence in their company.
