By Andy Medici  –  Senior Reporter, The Business Journals

Workers are anxious and exhausted by their employers’ constantly shifting return-to-work plans — and many are considering finding a new job, according to a new poll by job search company Monster.

The survey of nearly 4,000 workers conducted on August 30 by employment firm Monster, found that while 64% of workers agree their employer has been transparent about return-to-work plans,

54% feel their employer is not listening to employees and putting their needs first. It’s an example of a disconnect The Business Journals has reported on before.

When asked how they are feeling about their employer’s plans, 41% said exhausted by constant changes. About 32% of workers said their employer hasn’t even shared a return-to-work plan.

But perhaps most concerning for companies is that 82% of workers are considering changing jobs to find an employer with a return-to-work plan that fits their needs, according to the survey.

It mirrors what we’ve heard from recruiters who say a huge percentage of candidates are searching for workplace flexibility.

“If people feel exhausted and unheard or even frustrated, they are not alone,” said Monster career expert Vicki Salemi in an interview. “Part of it might also be pandemic fatigue. We have been at this

‘new normal’ for a while now — over 18 months and it’s constantly changing.”

Over the course of the pandemic, workers experienced tremendous burnout and felt the lack of growth opportunities, Salemi said. But, as the pandemic has eased, many workers decided to re-evaluate their lives and make big changes.

“People had time to reflect on what really makes their heart sing when it comes to the actual work. What type of environment do they want to work in and where do they ultimately want to work?” Salemi said.

The survey also found that:

  • 52% of workers say their employer does not currently require proof of vaccination in order to return to work.
  • 79% say that they do not want their employer to require proof of vaccination. Larger companies may soon have no choice, as the Biden administration has said the Labor Department

 will soon issue regulations requiring vaccine mandates or regular testing.

  •  Employees are split on their favored work model, with more than a third (34%) preferring fully in-person, just under a third (29%) looking for a fully remote environment, and one fourth 

(25%) interested in a hybrid approach with fewer days in person. 

The silver lining of the pandemic might be the massive shift to remote work, Salemi said. Before Covid-19, it would not have been possible to see how many jobs were able to be done remotely. And now employers

are responding because one-third of the talent pool is looking for remote work.

In the meantime, Salemi said, it is a critical time for companies because they need to be attentive to their employees. If a large company previously had an annual or semiannual all-hands meeting, make it monthly.

Make senior leadership available for “ask me anything” sessions where employees can ask them questions.

In short, make leaders at the company approachable, Salemi said. Managers should ask their directly reporting employees how they are doing, and listen to what they say. And be honest about how planning is going

for an eventual return to work, instead of leaving employees in the dark.

“Just telling everyone ‘look, we are in this together, we are navigating this and we don’t want to make an announcement and then change it three times.’ This way employees feel like they are looped in terms of what’s

going on and what’s not going on,” Salemi said.

Employers are being forced to navigate these challenges in the middle of an ongoing labor shortage. But many experts believe that even if the labor shortage eases in the short term, it will only get worse over the long term. 

And workers continue to walk out while on the job, whether it’s fast-food restaurant, a retailer or other employer.

A survey by anonymous professional network Blind found 66% of tech employees from companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Amazon.com Inc., who were unsatisfied with their companies’ work-from-home policies,

want to leave their employers, compared to just 6% of employees who were satisfied with their work-from-home policies.