Employees are leaving their jobs despite satisfaction in their work life because of changing work priorities in the new normal, one study suggests.

Once these workers feel that their employers don’t meet their needs or that they’re emotionally indifferent, they’re more likely to look for another job and leave for another employer.

A study by Dale Carnegie and Associates showed how business leaders can create a human-centred system that enables companies to retain employees, especially in the new hybrid workplace.

Researchers analysed the relationship between employee engagement and retention rates at work, showing a map that could address the shifting needs of employees during this era of employee empowerment.

Read more: Managers must be mentors, not just task masters

Joe Hart, CEO of Dale Carnegie and Associates, pointed out the need for organisations to build an emotionally connected workplace where employees can feel engaged with leaders and their work. “To grow employee engagement, every level of leadership needs to forge a genuine emotional connection between employees and the organisation,” Hart said.

The CEO emphasised how emotional engagement can be key to making employees feel more comfortable and satisfied in their working environment so that they’re more likely to stay in the company.

The study showed how seven in 10 engaged employees believe that their working environment is safer, compared to just one in five among 'indifferent' employees who think so.

Read more: How companies can stop the Great Resignation

Hart added how investing in an employee-centric work system has been proven to make employees feel more secure, more confident and more hopeful about work, according to their findings.

Leaders who motivate indifferent employees and provide emotional engagement can show their care, and this in turn can push a meaningful shift in the company’s work culture.

About four in five employees who feel engaged at work believe that they contribute to the overall success of the company. In contrast, only about one in 10 indifferent employees think their work impacts the company positively.