Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Change managementHR strategyRecruitment & retentionSelection interviews

Job security tops employee wish-lists during recession

by Kat Baker 16 Mar 2010
by Kat Baker 16 Mar 2010

Staff have returned to basics during the recession, citing stability and security as the most important aspects of employment, research has revealed.

The Global Workforce Study of 20,000 employees, by professional services company Towers Watson, found that, when asked to rate what is most important for them in their jobs, 81% of employees said stability and security was the most crucial aspect.

But only 43% believed their current organisation was able to offer a secure and stable position.

This desire for stability and security was also met with a preference to work for between one and three organisations only, during an entire working life.

The survey found that 72% of respondents want to work for only one to three organisations throughout their careers, with 35% of them wanting to work for only one company.

Just 12% of respondents were actively seeking another job.

audio icon

Interview with Nick Tatchell

The senior consultant talks to Personnel Today about workers’ desire for stability and security, and the implications this has for employers.

Listen to the full interview (6.09 minutes)

Nick Tatchell, a senior consultant at Towers Watson, told Personnel Today: “The recession has reminded people of some of the fundamentals of what they desire from work, and that is security and stability.

“This puts paid to the concept of the free agent, that employees will be very committed to an organisation but for a very short space of time, and then quite quickly will look to move on somewhere else.”

But Tatchell warned that it could take years for this desire to subside and, in return for their loyalty, staff expected a similar level of commitment from their employers – but here there was “a disconnect”.

Tatchell said: “People seem to want to embed themselves more in an organisation and really make a commitment to their organisation, but in return they are very much expecting their organisation to make a commitment back to them, and certainly the findings suggest that the deal isn’t quite as strong as perhaps it could be.”

Other survey findings

  • 53% defined career advancement in terms of acquiring new skills
  • 37% said it was about moving up a well-defined career path
  • 71% rated trustworthiness as the most important attribute of senior business leaders
  • 62% cited care about the well-being of others
  • 56% said being highly visible to employees
  • 50% said encouraging the development of employees.
He added: “The ‘deal’ that once existed between employees and employers is dying, having been mortally wounded by this recession.”

The survey of staff across 22 countries found that nearly one-third (30%) of workers felt that their organisations had not treated employees fairly in the past 12 months, while only 39% believed their senior leaders were trustworthy.

More than half of respondents (53%) felt there were no career advancement opportunities for them at their firm.

Tatchell said that with more staff wanting to stay in organisations for longer there was also a risk that disengaged workers would be retained, while high potentials left to seek other opportunities.

The survey revealed that 48% of high potentials would consider another job if it presented itself – compared to 35% among other employees.

He said: “There’s a risk of the cream of the crop being more likely to move on and the more disengaged people staying around.”

Tatchell added that where there was little scope for promotions, employers should offer staff mentoring schemes and encourage horizontal moves across the business to help them acquire new skills and experiences.

Avatar
Kat Baker

previous post
Fit-note legislation not well known among employers
next post
Over-50s unemployed unlikely to get back to work, warns TUC

You may also like

Teaching profession losing staff in record numbers

9 Jun 2023

AI could boost headcount and skills, recruiter predicts

8 Jun 2023

CBI members vote to support renewal plans

6 Jun 2023

Why embracing big data is HR’s key to...

6 Jun 2023

Report recommends student loan-style scheme for pilot training

5 Jun 2023

Time-to-hire rates at an all-time high

2 Jun 2023

Leaked emails suggest RAF disadvantaged white male applicants

31 May 2023

How to attract and engage older workers (webinar)

30 May 2023

Retail headcount declines at fastest rate in 14...

26 May 2023

Pets at Home jobs boost with new stores

26 May 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+