Chris Addison
2020 has been a challenging year for both employers and employees alike
Many companies have been faced with the unenviable task of furloughing members of their staff or making redundancies in an effort to navigate these choppy economic waters. Whilst doing so, how many employers are really thinking about the needs of their staff? Do they feel valued, developed or paid enough? Do they feel like their employers have communicated well with them through these uncertain times?
With over 45,000 engineers in our database from the last 5 years, we have surveyed a cross section of engineers from a variety of industries such as Food, Automotive, FMCG and Aerospace. The consensus makes interesting reading:
71% of those surveyed are still in work
Of the 29% that are out of work, 68% is due to COVID -19
59% felt that their company had communicated well or very well through the pandemic, 20% felt that the communication has been poor
64% are looking for a new role, of which 54% are still in work
Of that 64%, 27% are looking to move due to a lack of progression and training and 50% are due to environmental factors including, salary and benefits, shifts, travel
45% who have applied directly to employers feel that their recruitment experience has been positive, whilst 29% rated it average and 25% said it was poor
45% feel their mental health has been affected by the pandemic
As we move into 2021 and hopefully a return to normal, it is worth asking yourself the following questions as an employer
Are you doing enough to retain your staff?
Do they feel engaged?
Is the flow of communication good enough?
Or are you about to see your attrition rate increase as market confidence increases?
A company is only as strong as the people it employs, so is it worth running your own survey? If you need support or advice, we’d be happy to help, we could even design a survey for you.
We will also be releasing our annual Salary Survey in January 2021, which will convey data gathered from all the permanent and contract placements we have made throughout 2020. This extensive report, together with the feedback from candidates and their employment plans as the year draws to a close, ATA Recruitment hold the knowledge and expertise to ensure you're ready to face the growing concern of staff retention.