In other words, it looks like job hopping doesn\u2019t pay like it used to.<\/p>\n
What happens when people want to leave but don\u2019t? HR professionals are dealing with a new kind of workplace reality: disengaged employees who feel stuck. As Jill Stefaniak, chief learning officer at learning management system Litmos, puts it, \u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re loyal; they\u2019re just staying put because the outside options aren\u2019t all that appealing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
That leaves HR facing a tough question: How do you tell the difference between a temporarily \u201cgrouchy\u201d employee and one who\u2019s truly misaligned with your company\u2019s values? And what\u2019s the smarter investment: training them up or showing them the door?<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re loyal; they\u2019re just staying put because the outside options aren\u2019t all that appealing right now.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-06-28-at-5.28.27\u202fAM.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n Jill Stefaniak, <\/p>\n
\n chief learning officer, Litmos <\/p>\n
According to Litmos\u2019 report \u201cShaping the Future of Learning & Development,\u201d 3 in 5 employees say professional development tools are \u201chighly important,\u201d while nearly the same number participate in company-sponsored training several times a year. But that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re thrilled with the experience. In fact, nearly one-third report moderate to low satisfaction with how relevant their training is to future career goals.<\/p>\n
That disconnect is where things go sideways.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisengagement doesn\u2019t always mean it\u2019s time to cut someone loose,\u201d Stefaniak said. \u201cThe key is figuring out if the person is still showing signs of learning agility \u2014 curiosity, questions, or even informal upskilling. If they are, there\u2019s still a window to reignite their motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Litmos recommends offering low-stakes training opportunities like microlearning modules or short workshops as a litmus test. Do they reengage or shrug it off? How they respond can guide whether further investment is warranted.<\/p>\n
Still, not everyone can \u2014 or should \u2014 be turned around. Chronic cynicism, passive resistance and a lack of accountability are red flags, according to workplace experts. \u201cIf an employee\u2019s actions routinely contradict your organization\u2019s mission, no training course is going to fix that,\u201d Stefaniak said. \u201cYou\u2019re looking at a deeper cultural mismatch.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, that bad attitude has a way of spreading. \u201cNegativity is contagious,\u201d she added. \u201cHR has to weigh the cost of turning someone around versus the damage they might do to the rest of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The business case for L&D is still strong \u2014 especially when factoring in the cost of replacing someone. It\u2019s not just about recruitment and onboarding; it\u2019s also about lost productivity, broken workflows and institutional knowledge walking out the door.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf you\u2019re just bouncing between jobs with the same title and the same responsibilities, you\u2019re not growing, you\u2019re just moving.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-06-28-at-5.31.39\u202fAM.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n Eddie Peralta, <\/p>\n
\n CEO, Peralta Associates <\/p>\n
Eddie Peralta, CEO of security firm Peralta Associates, believes the conversation around job hopping needs a reset. \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between jumping and climbing,\u201d as he puts it. \u201cJumping is lateral; climbing is upward \u2014 and it\u2019s deliberate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peralta\u2019s military and law enforcement background brings a unique lens. \u201cIn the Army, we rotate every two years to build leadership and adaptability. But that\u2019s climbing \u2014 with intention,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re just bouncing between jobs with the same title and the same responsibilities, you\u2019re not growing, you\u2019re just moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cautions HR professionals to look closely at candidates\u2019 employment histories. At his company, more than five jobs in a short span are a red flag. \u201cThat\u2019s not growth,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s instability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The solution, Stefaniak argues, isn\u2019t to throw more training at people \u2014 it\u2019s to make learning meaningful. That means linking development opportunities to clear career paths, customizing content to match employee goals and embedding learning into everyday work culture.<\/p>\n
Peer learning, mentorship programs and cross-departmental collaboration can shift the tone of a workplace. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about skills,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about building a culture where growth feels possible and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the metrics for success? Skip the vanity stats. \u201cParticipation rates are nice, but what you really want to see is behavior change \u2014 more collaboration, more initiative, more ownership,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s how you know it\u2019s working.\u201d<\/p>\n
Job hopping as a shortcut to career advancement may not be as reliable as it once was, but disengagement isn\u2019t so much a death sentence as a fork in the road, as experts see it. And HR leaders who take the time to distinguish between burnout and true misalignment \u2014 and who invest wisely in development \u2014 could stand a much better chance of turning the \u201cgrouchy\u201d into the great.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Not long ago, switching roles every 12\u201318 months was seen as a savvy career move, especially among Gen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228396,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3092],"tags":[51,897,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-228395","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114776153004068445","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}