By The Standard

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Is it true that if you want fresh perspectives, satisfying work and the right work/life balance you must be prepared to jump from employer to employer every few years?

Recent research by Monster found full-time workers who switch jobs receive an average 5.2 per cent increase in salary, and with more than half of British workers having three or more careers by the time they hit 55, there is less and less stigma attached to a CV which shows a history of job hopping.

However, dig beneath these top-line figures and the picture is a little less straightforward.

According to 2023 research by LinkedIn, job-hopping is still perceived more negatively than positively by hiring managers, with 35 per cent saying it shows a lack of commitment versus only 19 per cent who believe it is a great way to gain experience.

So what if there were a way of achieving job satisfaction and variety without the upheaval and stress of starting over with a new employer? One company thinks it has solved the problem.

JTI UK says it offers its people a career where “curiosity is encouraged”. The firm promotes internal moves and prides itself on creating a supportive environment for those on secondment to other teams.

Last year, more than 170 JTI staff made an internal move, some of whom permanently transferred to another market, and nearly 100 took some kind of secondment.

The firm’s average employee tenure of nearly 10 years suggests they are doing something right in taking this approach.

Vikki Moore, pictured above, joined JTI in 2019. Last year she was offered one of the company’s Short Term Assignment (STA) arrangements to cover the family leave of a colleague, becoming supply chain manager of JTI Ireland for seven months.

She returned to her usual role this spring, but soon afterwards took on another different assignment – operational planning manager for JTI, globally.

Moore said she was never made to feel guilty for leaving her existing team “in the lurch”, adding “you never get that feeling from anyone here – everyone’s supportive to go for new opportunities”.

She said: “I feel like I’ve grown a lot as an individual since I’ve been at JTI. I just feel like a different person – not to sound cheesy, but I just feel a lot more confident in myself and my work and my ability to perform.”

Her colleague Peter Kelleher, pictured above, has been with JTI for 13 years, across roles in sales, marketing and ecommerce: “I probably didn’t expect to be at JTI this long, but I guess that’s a testament to what a good place it is to work,” he says.

Last year, he worked remotely with the Asia team to help launch a new product across four markets in the region, all without having to relocate which would have disrupted his young family.

Kelleher said: “JTI provides a wealth of opportunities to learn, whether that’s actual resources or on-the-job opportunities. There’s always lots of movement internally, new roles, secondments or even working across different projects.”

To find out more about working at JTI UK, visit here