Marvin OnumonuTwo-thirds of HR professionals are looking to change jobs this year, research from HR and payroll software provider Ciphr found.
65% of UK HR decision-makers said they expect to leave their organisation within the next 12 months.
Only 35% were not job hunting or planning to move imminently.
HR professionals at larger organisations appeared the most likely to leave, with just 27% of those supporting workforces of 1,500 employees or more happy to stay in their current role.
The most common reason for wanting to move was to gain new knowledge and skills, with 33% selecting this as their main driver.
A further 24% said they felt underpaid and wanted a higher salary.
One in five were seeking a more rewarding or fulfilling role, while 19% wanted to improve their work-life balance.
Employee benefits were a factor for 16%, who said they were after a better choice of benefits and rewards.
Other reasons included wanting a less stressful job or more manageable workload (15%), seeking more job security (15%), and reducing working hours (14%).
19% said it was just time to move on, while another 13% blamed a lack of good leadership at their organisation.
Other findings showed one in 10 HR professionals looking for a new job were planning to leave the profession entirely.
Claire Hawes, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said: “Most employers are very aware that retention continues to be a challenge, but they may not be expecting to see such high figures of discontent and risk of attrition among their own HR teams.
“Part of HR’s role is to understand what might be driving employee turnover, especially if it’s higher than market average, and work with leadership to help create strategies to reduce it.
“Because if people feel valued and supported, and invested in, it’s likely they’ll want to stay with your organisation for longer.”
Hawes added: “If people in your HR team are feeling overlooked because they don’t have clearly defined training and development routes.
“Or maybe they don’t feel adequately rewarded for the skills and experience that they bring.
“Then it’s very likely that other employees in the business are feeling exactly the same way.
“And, if you’re not doing what you can to meet their needs and priorities, another organisation will.”
She said: “Of course, not every organisation can always offer vertical career progression, especially for smaller HR teams.
“But employers must prioritise training and upskilling, and give people the time they need to focus on their own development.
“Structuring teams in a way that enables cross-specialist learning, secondments to other departments, or more involvement in wider business projects can all be valuable in helping HR professionals gain more commercial awareness and a broader understanding of the organisation.”
She added: “Everyone should have the opportunity to grow in their role and gain new knowledge and skillsets to help them reach their potential, and improve their HR capability in the longer term.
“Otherwise, who can blame them for considering going to work for another company that will respect and value their vital role?”
