Senior Managers in organisations have been warned of the need to make flexible working conditions a top priority if they want to retain and recruit the best talent according to a survey conducted by East Anglia-based Waddington Brown.
Over a quarter (27.66 percent) of HR professionals surveyed cited the need for greater flexibility with working arrangements as their number one top priority for wanting to change roles in comparison to 20.57 percent who chose salary and benefits. “Our survey results clearly indicate a growing need for organisations to recognise the benefits that offering flexible working conditions bring. Being more creative and agile with working practices will put them one step ahead of their competition in the fight for the best talent. Paying an increased awareness to employees’ needs is certain to pay dividends in the long term by providing a bigger pool to recruit from while also helping them to retain the best talent,” explains Emma Gunton, co-founder and director of Waddington Brown.
The survey also asked participants when making their next career move, what would be among the main drivers that would encourage them to move. Salary (60.99 percent), greater flexibility (53.9 percent), a promotion (40.43 percent) and more training and development opportunities (30.5 percent) were all highlighted as factors in their overall decision making process. 24.11 percent also suggested that a reduction in commuting time would be an important consideration. “It is clearly no great surprise that salary and benefits are front runners in candidates’ decision to move roles but its importance shouldn’t be underestimated and continual evaluation of this area should remain a top priority for employers as we move through 2016,” Emma Gunton adds.
When asked what career the HR professionals originally wanted to pursue when leaving school, only 15 percent answered HR. 13 percent wanted to work as a teacher or lecturer, 10 percent wanted to work within the travel, tourism or hospitality industries, while a further 10 percent were interested in exploring a career in one of the forces (armed forces, police force or fire service). 15 percent either didn’t know or opted for more unusual choices, including individual respondents suggesting spaceman, antique restorer, the Foreign Service and even the Mayor’s chauffeur! Waddington Brown provides HR recruitment services to businesses across East Anglia region. The survey of 141 HR professionals took place in November 2015.
