‘It can lead to a real sense of a lack of purpose and that can look like lost productivity at work’
Decisions that workers have made in the past may have a direct impact on their current employers — and organisations should take note, according to one expert.
Overall, more than half of employees in New Zealand regret their career choice, according to a SEEK report.
“It can obviously lead to a real disengagement with work,” says Ukari Warmann, SEEK’s HR business partnering director, speaking with Human Resources Director NZ.
“It can lead to a real sense of a lack of purpose and that can look like lost productivity at work. It can look a bit like disengagement with colleagues, maybe not showing up to some of the work events the way that you might have before. It can look like feeling stuck and people not being their best self.”
Six in 10 workers feel stuck in their job, according to a previous report. And the percentage of engaged employees fell to 21% in 2024 from 23% the previous year, according to Gallup.
Gallup also reports that the true cost of low employee engagement is US$8.8 trillion, Forbes reported in 2024.
While some signs of career regret can be obvious, they can also remain hidden — and that could be even more concerning for businesses, says Warmann.
“It can be where people don't show some of those very obvious symptoms, but they still have a level of career regret. And that could often be a little bit more concerning.”
In such cases, workers may appear enthusiastic on the outside, but still “do not feel like they're doing the thing that they're meant to be doing,” he says. “Over time, that really has a big impact on mental health.”
Early career decisions are often the biggest factor in long-term regret, says Warmann. He attributes this to the structure of the education and career planning system.
“If you think about the way our system is set up, you make choices about school and university really early that sets you on a certain career path. That… pushes people towards a certain direction with their career at a really young age.
“And when you're in your teens and when you're in your 20s, you're a really different person by the time you get to your 30s and 40s. And so quite often, we're making long-term career decisions at an early stage of our life.”
Shifting priorities and lifestyles play a major role as well, he says.
“We go from being young, single and free, to being — quite often — in more long-term relationships with much more responsibility. And sometimes it can feel difficult to change careers at that later stage in life.”
Financial pressure can also result in doing “work that's not particularly fulfilling,” he adds.
But just because workers have career regret does not mean that they are a lost cause. With only 6% of those with career regret are actively looking for ways to change paths, employers can rise to the occasion, says Warrman.
“You can absolutely turn them around,” he says.
The first step for employers is to genuinely know their people, he emphasises.
“You can, quite often, get a read of career regret or other forms of disengagement before it becomes really obvious. And if you can do that, that gives you every chance to turn it around at the early stages.”
Warmann advises leaders to “create a space where people feel like they can have a really open and honest conversation.”
This means that when employees initiate vulnerable conversations, “you're genuinely listening to what's on that person's mind, and you're accepting that and finding a way to respond in a real way.”
Employers can also consider redeploying staff, upskilling them, or offering opportunities for cross-functional work.
Warmann explains that employees experience multiple “career seasons” over time.
“There are times where you're going to be in a period of high growth. And in those windows, you want to take on as many new things as possible and move up. There are going to be other times where you'll be in a season of balance, where you've got a lot going on in your personal life, a lot going on at home, and you just need a role which is helping you to balance still being really good at work, but also taking care of other responsibilities that you may have.”
“At times, you may be in a season of reimagination, where you've done the same kind of work for an extended period of time, you're really keen to do something completely different, and you want to reimagine your career in a different world.”
That’s why it’s vital to have “a real relationship” between employers and staff, he adds.
“Once I know who they are, I can then figure out what's the best way to address [issues with] someone who may be disengaged, because it's going to look different for everyone.”
