RETENTION
Seven in ten organisations report retention problems
A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development shows that the number of organisations reporting retention difficulties has jumped markedly in the past year from 50% to 72%.
Retaining public sector staff -- 84% of public sector organisations report problems -- and administrative staff are the biggest retention headaches. More organisations in London report retention difficulties than in any other UK region.
Organisations feel that pay inflexibility has led to almost a half of organisations losing candidates. The public sector is the biggest loser with 61% of public sector organisations seeing this as a major issue.
Tackling retention difficulties
When survey respondents were asked what steps they have taken specifically to address staff retention, the most popular response was "improved training and development", mentioned by 58% of organisations. This was followed by "improved induction process" (52% of respondents) and "improved communication/involvement" (48%).
Public service organisations put greater emphasis on work-life balance measures to retain staff. For instance, half of public sector organisations offer flexible working hours compared with just a quarter of manufacturing and production organisations. Half of not-for-profit and public service organisations offer both family-friendly and work-life balance provisions beyond the legal minimum.
A final word
"Recruiting and retaining staff remains HR's biggest challenge in spite of the economic downturn. While some may see this as surprising, a combination of low unemployment and a massive expansion in public sector recruitment has meant that staff at all levels, in all sectors and in all regions are difficult to recruit and retain. The problems are particularly acute in the public sector where the demand for trained specialist staff currently exceeds supply." -- Angela Baron, CIPD adviser on employee resourcing and the survey's co-ordinator.
Want to know more?
Title: Recruitment and Retention 2003, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Methodology: A questionnaire was sent to 5,000 organisations across the UK, either by post or email.
Sample size: A total of 557 organisations responded to the survey employing just fewer than three million staff. As many as 43% of respondents were in the service sector, while 24% were in manufacturing and production.
Availability: You can download the report free of charge from the CIPD web site at www.cipd.co.uk. Click on "Information resources" and then select "Surveys and reports".
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has over 119,000 members and is the "leading professional institute for those involved in the management and development of people".
Posted 18 July 2003