Employers have a poor understanding of what actually motivates their employees

Almost half of companies (45 percent) still believe that an attractive salary and package is what motivates their workforce, despite the fact that employees cite ‘soft benefits’ such a flexi-working, work-life balance, and ‘being valued’ as key to feeling fulfilled in their job role. The findings come from recent research ‘Meeting demands through the job offering’, by recruiter Robert Walters and job board CV-Library that highlight the disparity between what employees want and what companies are offering to staff. While 60 percent of professionals’ state career development as an important part of a job offering, less than 10 percent of companies believe that a lack of career progression and development would be a key reason for losing talent. The report also found that although companies claim that ‘staff being stuck in their ways’ is the main reason behind the lack of quality applicants, over 40 percent of professionals state that they would be willing to take up a role in another field where skills would be transferable, or work in a new sector to broaden their skills.

Chris Hickey, CEO at Robert Walters said: “With Brexit on the horizon and a challenging time ahead, it is important now more than ever that employers retain top talent.

“Given that over a third of professionals claim that their employer is failing to meet their career expectations, it is concerning how slow companies are to act towards better understanding their employees’ needs.”

There was also a marked regional disparity between workers on whether they’d relocate for more money. Professionals in London (73 percent), Northern Ireland (64 percent), the North & Scotland (63 percent), and the Midlands & Wales (59 percent) would all strongly consider relocating job roles if it provided a better lifestyle.

This compares with only a fraction of professionals who state that ‘securing a substantial pay rise’ would be a number one career priority right now – London (13 percent), East of England (13 percent), South East & South West (10 percent), Scotland (10 percent), Midlands (9 percent), Wales (9 percent), North (6 percent), and Yorkshire & Humber (2 percent).

This was most prevalent in IT & Tech (50 percent), Accounting & Finance (43 percent), Manufacturing & Engineering (32 percent), Banking & Financial Services (30 percent), Marketing & PR (30 percent), and the Public Sector (30 percent), where candidates stated that lifestyle would be the main reason to trigger a job move.

In fact, almost half of UK professionals (40 percent) would consider working in a temporary, interim or contract position for more flexibility and a better lifestyle.

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, adds: “Candidates hold the power in the current market, putting more pressure on employers to pull out all the stops in order to attract, recruit and retain the very best workers.

“If you’re struggling with your hiring efforts right now, consider whether your job offers and workplace environment are truly meeting the needs of today’s job hunters. It’s clear from our findings that it’s not just about pay anymore.”