New report says employee loyalty is plummeting

New report says employee loyalty is plummetingNew report says employee loyalty is plummetingEverybody knows that employees could leave their jobs for a better offer at any time, but its assumed that offer better be good, instead of escaping your organization for a paltry raise. That only happens when employee loyalty is down and weak culture is to blame, says a report byemployee experience platform TINYpulse. One glaring finding from their new report was that43% of workers might leave their job for a 10% raise. (The previous year TINYpulse asked that question, only 25% of workers said theyd consider leaving).Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe 2019 Employee Engagement Report polled 25,000 employees across 20 industries spread out across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.But it wasnt just the 10% raise that factored into employees leaving. There were other intangibles, like workplace culture, that were important parts of the equation of weakening loyalty.Work culture really mattersOne employee said that besides the 10% raise, It would depend if the other company had a strong culture and good benefits, such as work from home, casual Fridays, or a more flexible schedule, I would leave. Anotlageher employee cited must-haves such as sense of team, and quality of work/life balance to be more than a 10% raise, another said they had taken a $10k cut in pay to work at a place that provided the the intangible most important to them environment and culture.In short, culture, environment, and balance matter more than ever, and employees are willing to leave jobs for a very small bump in pay or even take a pay cut to find it.Creating or stimulating a company culture isnt just a matter of throwing together some free snacks and a ping-pong table those are perks, not culture. Culture isnt what you do, but how you do it and live your mission eight hours a day. You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Skip that latte! and other financial advice we hate

Skip that latte and other financial advice we hateSkip that latte and other financial advice we hateThe world is full of terrible financial advice. Some of it is worse than others, but a certain percentage is just cringe-inducingly bad.Heres a roundup of the financial advice we most love to hate.Skip the latteSure, if you really need to save money, it can be helpful to do an audit of what you spend, find the little everyday luxuries you dont need, and stop spending money on them. But in general, this is bad advice.Why? Its a lot of effort for a small reward. (As illustrated in the video above.)A tall Caffe Latte at Starbucks costs $2.95. Lets say you buy one every day for a month thats $88.50 per month. It wont kill you to have an extra $88.50 in your pocket, but think of the effort it takes.Every time you pass that Starbucks, youre going to have latte cravings. Youll have to wrestle with yourself- and sometimes youll lose. You wind up saving less than that $88.50 per month, and fee ling bad about it.There are better ways to save.Buy a house the market is hotA lot of people took this advice just before the housing market crashed - and it took them years to dig themselves out.Buying a house is a great thing for some people. And some get lucky and sell for much more than they bought for. But thinking of your home as an investment is a bad idea. No one can predict what the market will do, and life circumstances may push you to move before youve recouped your investment.Bottom line? Buy a house when youre financially ready. And dont assume youll make money on it. You may, but its quite possible you wont - so plan accordingly.Put a years worth of money in your bank account before you(fill in the blank)Whatever you most want to do - start a business, move cross-country, have a baby - there will be people telling you not to do it until you have a years salary saved. This is dumb.Should you have some savings? Yes, definitely. Is it realistic to build up a years wo rth within a reasonable timeframe? For most of us, no. This advice could leave you waiting years or even decades before you pull the trigger on your dream.Whatever it is you want to do, people have done it without a years worth of savings. Do the research. Talk to those whove managed it successfully. Take stock of your finances and see how much you really can save within a timeframe that works for you.But dont put your dreams on hold for a savings goal you may never meet.Not sure what to do with your life? Go to grad schoolIf you just graduated college and still feel aimless, it can be tempting to go back into academia - an environment youre familiar with, and one that gave you purpose.But a Masters degree can be ruinously expensive - adding tens or hundreds of thousands to your student loan debt - and having one doesnt guarantee a high-paying job.If you know exactly what you want to do and you need a Masters or Ph.D. to do it, then go to grad school. But if youre just flailing, there are plenty of ways to flail without adding thousands to your student loan debt.Financial advice that really works? Refinance your student loan to a lower interest rateSome lenders offer as little as 2.5% interest when yourefinanceyour student loan. Keep in mind that even a Perkins loan will run you 5% interest these days.Refinancing is good financial advice because its low-effort, high-reward. Refinancing takes about 20 minutes in most cases, and you can save hundreds per month and thousands over the life of your loan.Theaverage amount most people who refinance save is $253 a month, or $16,183 over the life of their loan.It works, and, maybe even more importantly, itfeelslike it works.This article first appeared on Comet Financial.

How to Market Yourself for Jobs in the Freelance Economy

How to Market Yourself for Jobs in the Freelance EconomyHow to Market Yourself for Jobs in the Freelance EconomyResumes and cover letters have been commondistributions-mix in the job application process for as long as we know. For employers, theyre good indicators of our past, but they merely represent snapshots of our prior experiences and achievements. With the advent of social media, hiring managers can gain a better sense of the partie behind the keyboard in this freelance economy. Recent studies have shown a significant increase in social media profile usage by hiring professionals in their selection process.In this article, Ill discuss various ways you can better use social and modern media to be mora successful in todays competitivefreelance economy.Personal vs. ProfessionalAt this point, were all familiar with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can use these sites to create a more complete picture of yourself by sharing your interests, hobbies, and p assions. Its extremely important to distinguish your professional and personal accounts. While social media is a good platform to express your personality, profiles you share with employers should depict a high level of professionalism. This includes everything from having a high-quality photo of yourself to proofreading your posts before publishing them. Stay away from controversial topics, and avoid using profanity or posting negative comments.Keep in mind, social media can be a great place for employers to assess your communicative skills and determine if youd be a good fit for their company in this freelance economy. Employers often use these sites to verify what youve written on your resume, so you should always make sure your profiles are up to date and consistent with information youve shared with them.Increase Your Presence WebsiteYou can increase your social media presence by creating your own website. Firstly, having your own site can help you control what other people dis cover when they search for you on Google. Secondly, websites are phenomenal because theyre dynamic and dont confine you to a limited space to express your talents and accomplishments. I suggest including an About Me page, where you can describe your career ambitions and areas of interest, including causes you care about. Highlight your previous work and dont be afraid to show off your creative side by employing relevant photos, videos, and other digital media. Remember to keep your content professional and business-oriented. Your website is a great place for you to start building your brand.Increase Your Presence PodcastAnother social media tool to consider in this freelance economy is starting your own podcast channel. Podcasts are a great platform to establish yourself as an authoritative figure in your field. By allowing followers to put a voice behind your words, it helps to humanize your brand, and listeners will actively seek your expertise. Podcasts also show employers your w illingness to collaborate with other experts in your area, as well as your proficiency in oral communication. Hosting a podcast offers amazing opportunities to network by inviting other thought leaders to appear on your show.For example, Ciaran Rogers, cohost of Digital Marketing Podcast, regularly invites other marketing gurus to speak on the show. People are more selective when they subscribe to podcasts than when they sign up for websites. Building a large following will show employers that people value what you have to say.Dont wait to enhance your social media and online presence to employers I guarantee it will make a huge difference in your next job hunt.Readers, what ways have you used social media in this freelance economy to help your job search? Tell us in the comments section belowJackson Hille is FormSwifts content associate, helping create guides and resources for entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. A 2014 grad uate from the University of California, Berkeley, Jackson is an avid Cal Bears fan and likes to spend summers hoping his Dodgers will finally win the World Series during his lifetime.Kyungduk Rho is a digital marketing analyst at FormSwift. A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in biological sciences, hes a recent San Francisco transplant. Kyungduk is an avid golfer, dog lover, and shameless Warriors bandwagoner.