34 business focus


Engaged employees are productive employees


Employee engagement directly impacts a business’s attraction and retention strategy. Simply put, engaged employees are happy employees. In today’s job market, employers should be doing all they can to attract and retain top talent. But what is it that makes workers happy?


Following research conducted by GCS Recruitment Specialists, managing director David Bloxham discusses four ways employers can improve employee engagement.


1 Flexibility matters


71% of people believe flexible working is essential to achieving a good work/life balance. With individuals now able to work effectively from home, on the move, share jobs and work the hours that suit them, the relationship between the workplace and the employee has fundamentally changed.


Vodafone’s recent Flexible: Friend or Foe? report found that flexible working boosts employee productivity, company reputation and profits. In addition, a further study conducted by the CIPD and Simplyhealth linked flexible working options to a lower rate of employee absence. Interestingly, the UK Government estimates that flexible working will contribute £475 million to the economy within the first 10 years of introducing a flexible working policy.


2 Train your talent


A skills shortage has arisen due to only a small percentage of the labour pool having the necessary qualifications and experience to match business needs. In fact, new research released by the Government highlights that economic growth during the previous four years has been met by a noticeable shortage of talent. So much so that, since 2012, skills shortages have risen by 13%.


GCS’ own research revealed that the majority of employees are dissatisfied with the training they receive – despite the fact that training could potentially address the issue of talent poverty. Our report found that 60% of staff are unhappy with the training offered by their employer. It also found that only 19% received an increase in training last year, a statistic which conflicts with the calls from businesses for more qualified labour.


3 Your environment is essential


The workplace has witnessed great change. The once closed off, traditional cubicle layout is a rarity in businesses today. Instead, an open-plan layout has been widely adopted with more communal areas to encourage collaboration and fewer ‘corner offices’.


www.businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2016


For prospective employees, the workplace might be their first impression of the business and could sway candidates in favour of choosing one company over another. We found that 71% of people believe that their work environment is more important in relation to attraction and retention of employees than a benefits package. In other words, people are beginning to favour sleeping pods and snooker tables over health insurance and a pension.


4 Happiness means productivity


Our research highlighted a discrepancy between what employers think jobseekers want, and what jobseekers actually want. Employers believe that career progression is the main priority for candidates, when in actual fact a high salary, followed by flexible working is more appealing to them when deciding a role – despite employers failing to keep up with the trend. As it stands, employers don’t fully understand what candidates want and what will keep them happy. Companies need to ensure they are benchmarking salaries and routinely updating their packages.


With the skills gaps in the Thames Valley continuing to widen, our research shows that organisations that improve training processes, reconsider flexible working practices, invest in training their staff and create an enjoyable working environment will undoubtedly be in a better position to attract and retain top talent.


To request a free copy of our report, don’t hesitate to contact me.


Details: David Bloxham 0118-9563900 david.bloxham@gcsltd.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56