Hays reports employees remain proud to work in private sector despite stress

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:49:09 GMT

Stress may be on the rise, but private sector employees are still happy and proud to work in the commercial sector according to new research among employers and staff. The Hays Career Outlook Survey shows that over half (57%) say they would actively seek a role in the private sector if they were starting their career again. Private sector staff also rate their leadership, support from management and career development opportunities as better than in the public sector.

Despite 70% of private sector employers stating the sector is more stressful compared to a year ago, over 80% of employers would still encourage today’s graduates to seek work in the private sector. Employees also remain proud to work in the sector, with 71% of staff rating pride in their work within the sector as six out of ten or above. Over three quarters (76%) rated their happiness at working in the private sector at six or above, with most (24%) scoring their happiness at eight.

Charles Logan, Director at Hays, said: "The survey shows that despite the tough times faced by the private sector, staff remain remarkably positive and proud to be about working there. This is good news for employers because it means they have a better chance of keeping staff motivated and engaged during what is likely to be a difficult year."

With almost half (47%) of employers stating they believe managers are to blame for poor morale it is clear that they have a critical role to play in galvanising staff. Logan said: "Employers need to make sure that managers have the skills needed to steer workers through the uncertain year ahead, keep employees proud of their work and subsequently drive performance."

But employees shouldn't rely entirely on their managers. Logan said: "If employers are not offering the training and development opportunities they want, they need to drive it themselves or consider other options."

Despite concerns about low morale and stress levels, over two-thirds (67%) of employers in the private sector still do not believe the retention of skilled people will be an issue over the coming year. Private sector employees say the economic outlook is limiting their opportunity to develop and progress their career; three-quarters (75%) call on employers to invest more in training to get the skills needed from staff. Over a third (37%) believe a lack of opportunities in their department or sector as a whole is holding back career progression.

The data also revealed employee perception of each sector:
- Over half (54%) of private sector workers think they have better leadership than the public sector, while only 13% of public sector workers believe they have more effective leaders.
- Over a third (37%) of private sector workers feel they get better support from management, compared to just a 22% in the public sector.
- Staff believe better career development is available in the private sector (44% of private sector employees, 40% of public sector employees).

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About the survey:
The findings are based on an online survey undertaken in Nov/Dec 2011 of over 965 employers (581 public sector and 384 private sector from across the UK) and 1380 employees in both the public and private sectors (716 public sector and 669 private sector).

About Hays:
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments, including architecture jobs, manufacturing jobs, IT jobs, building services jobs and legal jobs.

Hays survey reveals public sector job cuts will damage frontline service delivery

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:04:28 GMT

According to new research published by Hays, the leading recruiting expert, the public sector is facing a critical loss of employees, with almost half (45%) of staff in the sector facing redundancy or actively seeking work in the private sector.

Although the public sector is faced with the need to make cuts, pay, career development and job security are all seen to be better in the private sector, resulting in a severe skills loss, which will impact on its ability to deliver frontline services effectively.

The Hays Public Sector Survey 2011 finds that some public sector employers are struggling to recruit staff with the right skills to manage frontline services. Since the Comprehensive Spending Review 18% of employers say it is harder to attract skilled job candidates. Over 80% of employers say uncertainty around job security is the primary factor stopping people looking for work in the sector, followed by changes to benefits (51%) and scrutiny over pay (39%).

Furthermore, headcount reduction schemes and cuts may be draining the public sector of its most vauable employees. 60% of employers and the same level of workers believe voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes are resulting in the loss of the best talent. Over 60% of staff say they fear the sector will be unable to attract the staff needed to manage the transformation and change ahead.

Andy Robling, public services director of Hays, said: "With such a widespread exodus of staff, it is highly likely that frontline services will be affected. Employers have to make cuts and drive cost savings, but they are also faced with increased demand for many frontline services, such as healthcare and education. The combination of pay scrutiny, fears around job security and critical media headlines means a stigma has started to develop around public sector careers. Many public sector workers are feeling demotivated, devalued and stuck in less challenging careers. The public sector needs to act now to address this before it is too late."

Asked what areas they would improve to help attract professional staff to the public sector, employers and employees both reported pay and career development as the top two factors. Almost 70% of employers agree they need to review what they have to offer jobseekers so they are perceived more positively, with over a third (38%) saying this is an urgent priority.

Andy Robling continued: "Employers in the public sector would do well to focus on areas they can have an effect on, such as providing a clear career path and training. The main reason people come to work in the public sector is the desire to make a difference to society. Employers have to make sure they are showing how important the roles are if they want to attract and motivate staff."

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About Hays:
Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group, is the market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe.

As at 31 December 2010, the Group employed 7,086 staff operating from 257 offices in 30 countries across 17 specialisms. These specialisms encompass a wide range of roles including learning and development jobs, retail jobs and admin support jobs.

About the research:
The Hays Public Sector Survey 2011 is based on responses from 1039 public sector workers and 603 employers in the UK during April 2011. The respondents comprised management, frontline and back office staff, as well as hiring managers and line managers, from across a wide range of public sector organisations.

Revolver PR challenges local authorities to use digital media as route to accountability and efficiency

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:21:35 GMT

Digital PR experts Revolver have called upon local authorities to embrace the digital media if they are to achieve set targets of measurability and improved performance.

Scotland's leading digitally-enabled PR consultancy claims that a stategically managed digital media plan is the most efficient and cost effective method of continually measuring performance and carrying out sentiment analysis of local authority services and initiatives. The agency believes the amalgamation of digital media into existing methods of measuring and reviewing local authority performance would provide a fast and effective route towards achieving the efficiency savings demanded of many councils in Audit Scotland's February report.

"Scotland's local authorities are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Under attack from one side for failing to provide services with due efficiency and transparency, from the other they are being compelled to drive through cost savings that make a near impossible job ten times harder," said Iain Bruce, Revolver PR's Managing Director.

"With budgets uncertain and even greater demand likely to be placed upon council services in the short to medium term, the use of digital media for monitoring council activities, competitively benchmarking services and disseminating information will be central to the evolution of local authorities in the coming months. Like it or not, Digital PR is about to become central to what they do."

Competitive tracking and benchmarking performance using digital methods - together with the strategic online management of local authority communications - are increasingly recognised as the most cost effective ways of monitoring performance, sharing services and developing fresh initiatives within local government. Following comments from Deputy Auditor General for Scotland Caroline Gardner that "difficult decisions and new approaches will be needed to find other ways to increase efficiency and reduce public spending," a raft of recent reports have suggested that the public sector needs to take on fresh approaches to improving services rather than simply cutting spending.

Revolver PR's call to action echoes the findings of the 2009 Arbuthnott Review, which urged local authorities to justify their spending and improve services to local communities through regular performance reviews and improvement strategies. Providing a lead to a public sector which has not been entirely enthusiastic in its approach to the digital media, the Review also recommended that authorities should improve engagement with their local communities, prompting Deloitte's Keith Leslie to tell the annual conference of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE): "The biggest thing to be done is to be very clear about what you are doing and to communicate much more than you think is conceivably necessary".

"Enabling online interactivity is key to the community engagement plans proposed in the Single Outcome Agreements of the Arbuthnott Review, because not only does any reaction to the performance of services enable local authorities to carry out sentiment analysis of their services, but it also enables stakeholders to be seen to be dealing with issues in a direct, open and accountable fashion," said Bruce.

"Many local authorities dread negative feedback, but it is an unavoidable fact of public life. Rather than avoiding unpalatable truths the public sector needs to embrace them, because the successful online management of negative views and complaints will both directly improve community engagement and help move towards creating a more effective and efficent local autho

Top Articles Tagged with public-sector

Hays reports employees remain proud to work in private sector despite stress

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