Women qutting jobs hits new high

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/6979807.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The number of women in Wales resigning from their jobs is at an all-time high, according to new figures.

A survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found 7.2 % of working women handed in their notice last year, up from 5.5% the year before.

Resignation rates were lower among men and fewer women ask for internal transfers if they are unhappy at work.

There are fears that such a trend could affect the productivity and performance of businesses.

One of the most common reasons for quitting was a lack of training. The CMI said the problem must be addressed.

Women in Wales are ranked in the survey as the third most likely to resign out of nine regions across the UK. Most resignations were in the retail industry.

For women in their 20s, the age group most likely to resign, the resignation figure in Wales reached 13%.

'Act now'

Mike Petrook from the Chartered Management Institute said: "Women are saying to us that unless they are given the training and development opportunities that they want at work they will move on elsewhere."

He said employers needed to act to reverse the trend.

"A lot of them are saying to us that they know they are not giving enough training and development," he added.

"In fact, particularly in Wales, that number's gone up from 37% last year to 51% this year.

"So it's a case of having to act now and give people the opportunities that they want."

For me being a mum and doing the job I was doing, they just weren't compatible and my only option really was to resign Former manager Louise Evans

First time mother Louise Evans gave up her management role in critical care services with Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust when she had her daughter Grace, now nine-months-old.

She said: "The hours were quite demanding at times. I worked around 10 hours a day. It could be very pressurised and very stressful.

"I think when I got married I started to think about having children and how I would feel continuing working in the environment in which I was working. I just decided I wasn't going to go back.

"So for me being a mum and doing the job I was doing, they just weren't compatible and my only option really was to resign."

Mr Petrook warned that if high numbers of women continue to leave work, there will be serious consequences.

"If employers are not able to stem the tide of resignations, it means there's going to be a lot of uncertainty in the workplace," he said.

"People are not going to know what's expected of them, they're not going to be able to create the team dynamics which might exist if there's more stability.

"And that's going to have a long term impact in terms of productivity performance and motivation levels."