4 things that are more important to employees than pay


 4 things that are more important to employees than pay

 

Compared with before the pandemic, 52% of Australian business leaders believe it is more challenging to find qualified employees. Research from Robert half has found the 47% of business leaders believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the skill shortage in Australia, while 33% believe the availability obstacles remain the same.

 

63% of business leaders said that an increase in competition for talent was the main contributing factor to the skill shortage and 54% pointed to an increase in demand for specialist skills.

 

The challenges continue to mount for employers after a recent report suggested that 40% of workers were planning to look for a new role within six months as part of the. ‘Great Resignation’.

 

The great resignation is an idea proposed by Professor Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M university that predicts a large number of people leaving their jobs after the covert pandemic ends an life returns to “normal."  managers are now navigating the ripple effects from the pandemic, as employees re-evaluate their career and leave their jobs in record numbers. Companies every corded record number of open positions, and whilst resignation rates are highest among midcareer employees, they are also highest in the technology and community and health care sector.

 

It's important to recognise, for many, employers have played a big part in why employees are walking away.

 

While the pandemic encouraged workers to shift their priorities, encouraging them to pursue a ‘dream job’, or transition to being a stay-at-home parent, for many, many others, the decision to leave came as a result of the way their employer treated them during the pandemic.

 

Workers who, pre pandemic, may have already been teetering on the edge of quitting their Positions within companies with existing poor company cultures, saw themselves pushed to breaking point. That's because, many of these companies with bad environments doubled down on decisions that didn't support workers, such as layoffs, insisting that people worked at the office, and being inflexible on work hours.

 

The pandemic reminded us that people are not machines. If you worry about your kids, about your health, financial insecurity in covering your bills, and all the things that come with being human, you're less likely to be productive.

 

Workers in expected their employers to make moves to help alleviate, or at least acknowledge, those concerns-and companies that failed to do so have suffered. More than half of the respondents of a recent study found that those who were planning to quit wanted to do so because of a worsening work life balance and a toxic workplace culture.

 

The pandemic put an acute focus on……. how has this company, I've given a lot too, handled me or my health or happiness during this time?

 

The answer a lot of the time, is I'm going to go somewhere I'm valued.

 

When people move it costs companies money. In terms of turnover and loss of productivity, it takes six to nine months to on board someone to be fully effective. Companies that lose a lot of their workforce will struggle and those companies that don't invest in their people will fall behind.

 

Employers must realise, that it is not all about money.

 

Recently here at family and child consultants come up we ran a survey which asked participants to consider what they valued the most when it comes to their work.

 

The results were very clear. There were four things that workers within the community sector valued when it came to their paid employment. Employees want:

 

1.     To be treated with respect

2.     Rosters that don’t change

3.     Training and development

4.     Opportunity

 

Employees want to be treated with respect by not only their direct managers and co-workers, but they want organisational policies, procedures, and values to reflect the organisations value of the employees within it.  Employees cited the existence of Employee Assistance Programmes to staff within the community sector is an essential service that employers can provide for their employees as a demonstration of this respect.

 

Employees in the community sector want rosters that don't change. Of course, not rosters that don't change forever, but instead they want rosters that don't change from day to day. Whilst of course the emphasis always needs to be on what is in the best interest of the service users, consideration must be given to those who we asked to work within the service. We sometimes forget the employees, even though they do shift work, have lives outside of work. This needs to be taken into greater consideration by employers.

 

Employees in the community sector also regard training and development as highly important. Many of them commented, that when cutbacks and staff shortages must occur, it is training in development which is often the first to go. Staff that do not receive training and development, do not feel valued. They don't feel that their employee values and respects the work that they contribute.

 

The final thing that workers within the community sector stated that they valued when it came to their paid employment was opportunity. We know, that young people entering the workforce now will hold many jobs before they enter retirement. People want the opportunity to move not only upwards within organisations, but sideways. Organisations which provide real opportunities for employees to do this will attract staff from organisations where this is an impossibility.

 

Let's be honest.

 

We've all fantasised about quitting our jobs and embarking on an alternative career path in a parallel universe.

 

The essential anxiety that we have worked relentlessly to keep it Bay has crept into our consciousness. while some people call it the “Great Resignation," I like to call it the “Great Rethink”.  It is an unprecedented movement that marks our collective search for meaning and autonomy. During COVID-19, we broke through the entrapment of social isolation by connecting virtually an engaging with our creativity. And now, we want to challenge the meaning of work. We want to reshape work culture with a changing attitude.

 

Companies and organisations within the community sector that do this with their employees, will continue to strive forward and prosper.

 

Those who don't, will not prosper. they won't prosper because great staff will be attracted to other organisations. And we all know, that the key to a great community service Organazation, is great people.

 

 

 


Niki has worked in Child Protection, Family Law, Juvenile Justice and NDIS for over 19 years.  Having worked extensively with families, government departments, not for profits and privately owned large and small businesses, Niki understands the needs of families, the pressures of compliance, quality and sustainability, and the need to work smart, be resilient, and know who we work for and who we work with.

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