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Dear Job Doctor,

What is the main motivator behind people changing jobs in Luxembourg?

I have collected a significant amount of evidence to comfortably answer this question; the business I manage in Luxembourg meets over 100 people every week looking to change and there are many individual reasons and some common themes too.

Although not a choice, due to the current economic climate “downsizing” or “restructuring” is now a common reason for change. The most common reasons for considering a change for those who have a choice are “relationship with manager”,  “better pay or conditions”, “work/life balance”, “new challenge/opportunity” and “job security”.

I will look at each of these reasons over the next few weeks.

To begin with I will address “relationship with manager”.

This reminds me of the popular adage that people leave managers not companies. With many people in management roles promoted due to their technical skills and not necessarily their leadership competence and emotional intelligence it should be no surprise that this is popular reason for leaving.

Ineffective leadership creates many dissatisfied employees, although poor leadership has no international boundaries. I’ve listed some of the most common comments that people have shared with me in Luxembourg:

“Not walking the talk; what they say does not translate into any demonstrable actions.”

“Self-importance; they tell you that you are important but do not make any effort with you.”

“Disrespect; they will schedule meetings without any regard to your schedule.”

“Take the credit; they will rarely take the blame and take the credit for your achievements.”

“Dishonesty; they do not keep promises and are conveniently forgetful.”

There is now an accepted awareness of this issue in Luxembourg among many organisations, and training and coaching initiatives are being adopted to develop effective management and leadership competencies.

Also, please refer to a previous answer relating to difficult managers.

During the 16 years I have been in the recruitment industry, the motivators for change have not significantly developed. As Luxembourg occupations become purely service centred, employers will rely further on their employees to differentiate their service, a higher degree of emphasis is required on creating a more satisfied workforce.

Darren Robinson is managing director of Badenoch & Clark Luxembourg, the largest staffing and recruitment firm in the Grand Duchy.

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