CIBSE Journal January 2013

PAY AND BENEFITS HAYS 2013 SALARY SURVEY Mechanical/electrical contracts engineer (£)

Central London South East South West Wales

West Midlands East Midlands East Anglia North West

North East & Yorkshire Scotland

Northern Ireland National average

Typical 12 Min 12 Max 12 40,000 38,000 44,000 38,000 32,000 40,000 34,500 31,000 36,000 32,000 29,000 34,000 32,000 29,000 40,000 31,000 28,000 33,000 35,000 32,000 38,000 33,000 30,000 36,000 32,500 30,000 36,000 33,000 28,000 37,000 30,000 26,000 34,000 34,000 30,000 37,000

can offer. We currently have building services graduates working in Auckland, Sydney and California. The way companies work can also help.

Burton says: ‘Part of why we attract people is the working environment. We work in design studios with fl exible spaces, informal meeting areas, cafes and comfy chairs. We also allow people to communicate how they want, whether that’s through twitter or email etc – we recognise that younger people are often less keen to pick up the phone.’ It may also be worth fi rms revisiting their branding. Alasdair Reid, senior partner at Max Fordham, says: ‘Graduates have always liked the fact that we have the theme of sustainability running through everything we do, because they want to use their engineering skills to improve wider society. So we rebranded our website 18 months ago to emphasise that, and we have seen an upsurge in applicants for jobs.’ In lieu of higher salaries, fi rms can offer employees a stake in the business. At Max Fordham, for example, the partnership structure can be attractive. Of the fi rm’s 160 staff, 90 are partners. Reid says: ‘We are a democratic partnership and that empowers the people that work here. A sense of ownership and responsibility is ingrained in them from the word go.’ At Arup, a profi t-share scheme fosters a

similar sense of belonging. This is likely to be popular: Hays asked employees what benefi ts they considered most important when considering a new job, and the most popular choice – picked fi rst by 20% – was performance related bonuses. This was followed by pension (18%) and fl exible working or a fl exible benefi ts package (17%). However, career development opportunity

is perhaps the most important factor in attracting and keeping employees. Stoker says: ‘Our strategy is to support professional development and provide a variety of career

52 CIBSE Journal January 2013 Operations director (£)

Central London South East South West Wales

West Midlands East Midlands East Anglia North West

North East & Yorkshire Scotland

Northern Ireland National average

Typical Min Max 70000 65000 77000 65000 62000 67000 47000 43000 51000 45000 40000 50000 47000 43000 53000 51000 46000 55000 55000 49000 59000 50000 45000 55000 50000 42000 54000 45000 40000 50000 42000 36000 45000 52,000 46,000 56,000

paths and varied projects for individuals. It’s about people fulfi lling their potential and being stretched. This breeds loyalty.’ Harris agrees: ‘Money is important but

it only has a short-term impact on people’s motivation.’ What will keep people on board is the thrill of the job, he says. This means that the growing importance and expanding breadth of the building services profession – due to the critical role it plays in sustainability – could hardly be better timed. McNally says that with so many ways to

lure recruits, the industry should not be fi xated on its inability to increase salaries. ‘Don’t worry if you can’t increase salaries at the moment – remember that this is an industry-wide issue and even outside it most sectors are seeing pay freezes.’ Instead, he says: ‘The trick is to use more inventive ways of attracting and keeping talent.’

Operations manager (£)

Central London South East South West Wales

West Midlands East Midlands East Anglia North West

North East & Yorkshire Scotland

Northern Ireland National average

Typical Min Max 60,000 55,000 65,000 60,000 55,000 63,000 40,000 35,000 45,000 40,000 33,000 42,000 44,000 35,000 44,000 45,000 40,000 48,000 45,000 42,000 48,000 40,000 37,000 45,000 40,000 37,000 45,000 37,000 35,000 43,000 34000 32,000 38,000 44,000 40,000 48,000

Graduates have always liked the fact that we have the theme of sustainability running through everything we do, because they want to use their engineering skills to improve wider society

Alasdair Reid, Max Fordham

Key survey fi ndings: Employers vs employees Employers

1. 57% of the employers surveyed said they would recruit in the next 12 months.

2. 77% of those recruiting will seek a mix of

permanent and temporary staff.

3. 71% said they were optimistic about the prospects for their business in the coming year.

4. 38% thought the main reason the sector struggles to attract recruits is lack of jobs

and 29% cited lack of understanding of the roles.

5. 62% said recovery from recession would have the greatest impact on building services over the next fi ve years.

Employees 1. 49% of the employees questioned said they felt fairly or very secure in their current role, with 41% saying they had felt no change in their level of job security over the past twelve months.

2. 47% would recommend their current employer to a friend.

3. 84% said they had a good or average work-life balance.

4. 46% think the industry struggles to attract recruits because packages are not seen as competitive, and 41% cited the industry’s image not being exciting.

5. 61% said recovery from recession would have the greatest impact on building services over the next fi ve years.

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