What do employees value most about their careers?

What do employees value most about their careers?

A CV-Library survey has revealed that more than half of the nation, at any one time, are unhappy in their current job.

Unhappy workers, without even meaning to, often spread their feelings across a team/business.

An unhappy workforce = low productivity, motivation and morale = reduced business performance

Low employee morale & motivation = high employee churn = increased recruitment costs

However you look at it, it’s not great news for employers.

What can you do to help create a content workforce?

Pay and bonuses keep people happy for a limited time. Increasing wages create an instant high but not a long-term one.

With businesses competing to recruit the best people in the employment market, you need to create an employee proposition that goes beyond pay and reward.

It’s time to nurture some of the softer, day to day things that really make a difference to how people feel.

In the CV-Library research, professionals across the UK were asked what they believe are the most important factors that impact their workplace and career happiness. Salary only accounted for just over half of it. Below is the breakdown of the top 10 contributing factors:

  1. A good salary – 58.1%
  2. Friendly colleagues – 48.2%
  3. Great company culture – 40%
  4. Room for progression – 33.5%
  5. Learning new skills – 28.2%
  6. A nice boss – 22.4%
  7. Flexible working opportunities – 13.3%
  8. Good location close to home – 11.5%
  9. Interesting daily responsibilities – 10.9%
  10. Good workplace perks – 10.4%

Interestingly, when this same survey was done in 2016 the results showed that job role, daily responsibilities, then salary, topped the list, showing the shift in what professionals now value.

How to encourage some of the less tangible factors?

The results, on the whole, are things you can do and nurture that are not going to cost you anything, but they can transform your business.

You might think that friendly colleagues, a nice boss, etc, are something you can’t really impact. It’s all about leading from the top and leading by example. If you practice what you preach and back it up with internal business values that your team are measured against, you can make a big impact and show you are serious.

Make creating a great company culture and friendly workforce a business priority. You’ll reap the rewards in the long run.

Enigma People Solutions is an award-winning technology recruitment consultancy. We find technical leaders for the emerging and enabling technology industries. Visit our services page for more information. Visit our job search page for the latest vacancies in photonics, electronics, semiconductor, software and IoT in Scotland and the UK. Check out our blog page for the latest in the technology industry. You can get in touch with us hello@enigmapeople.com or call us on + 44 131 510 8150