‘The war for talent is back’

What makes a workplace great? The latest research from Great Place to Work suggests, once again, that it’s not about on-site massages or free lunches. Rather, employees are happiest when they have strong managers who recognise and reward talent, provide a sense of strategy and direction and, perhaps most significantly, ensure a culture of equality and respect in the workplace.

The survey comes at a time of increased job growth and rising wages, with economic growth forecast to hit 4.2 per cent in 2018. In 2017, 55,000 new jobs were created.

“Last year, our research highlighted that annual increases in a sense of job security amongst the best workplaces was leading to employees relax about the present, and focus more on their future career trajectories,” says Fiona Wilson, senior project manager at Great Place to Work Ireland. “The war for talent is back and there is much more fluidity in the jobs market. During the recession, people stayed in jobs for longer than they may have wanted to; now, they are thinking of moving on, so companies that want to keep talent need to look at ways of recognising their staff, looking after their wellbeing and giving them opportunities for development.

“It’s clear from our survey that the top 20 employers are pulling away from the pack. What are the key factors that make them stand out? Recognition, talent management and performance management. “Employees are happy when management shows an interest in them as a person and not just as an employee, when they are sincerely appreciated for good work and extra effort, and where everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition,” says Wilson.

Surveys are carried out by asking staff in various companies to complete a questionnaire comprised of 78 questions; these include organisational, retirement planning, protections for whistleblowers, governance, career development, corporate social responsibility and diversity.

How many employees filled out the questionnaire?

This is the largest survey ever conducted by Great Place to Work Ireland. Total employees surveyed among best workplaces has increased from 23,992 to 33,875 this year, an increase of 41 per cent.

The pack pulls ahead

This year, Great Place to Work picked out the 20 very best companies and ran their data to see where they’re standing out. When the survey looked at some of the key business drivers – including strategy and direction, career development, and diversity – it found that, in some areas, the best performing companies were as much as 40 percentage points ahead of the lowest performing companies.

The main areas where the very best companies are pulling ahead are recognition, talent management and performance management, says Joseph Benkanoun, digital communications manager. “This ties to what we were expecting to see last year: these organisations are recognising employees in unique and authentic ways for a job well done, and they’re having honest and consistent conversations about performance – not trying to catch employees out, but rather collaborating with them to identify blind spots and grow together.”

What might give a company a low score? If an organisation is not seen as a particularly good place to work, it may be because they do not have a culture or practices which allow managers to recognise good employees, or it may lack effective pathways to help high performers move up within the organisation.

What’s most and least important to employees this year?

Statements about fair reward and profit sharing have held steady, but the number of employees who say ‘we have special and unique benefits here’ has dropped four percentage points, from 72 to 68 per cent, since last year. “This seems to indicate that while these organisations are generous with what they’re offering their employees, the ‘special and unique’ element is missing,” suggests Joseph Benkanoun. “Companies need to find innovative and authentic ways to build their employee brand when providing benefits to employees, rather than offering a similar package across the board.”

‘When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome’. The survey found that 92 per cent of employees scored this statement highly. “This shows the power of first impressions: those companies provide a great onboarding experience that sticks with employees,” says Benkanoun.

‘My work has special meaning: this is not just a job’. This statement is trending upwards, increasing by two percentage points this year. “This shows the importance of purpose in one’s job role, which is something the great workplaces are keen to embed,” says Benkanoun.

Gender and equality

The conversation about workplace equality has never been more relevant. The #MeToo movement, which took off following the sexual abuse revelations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, is about more than a workplace free of sexual harassment and abuse: evidence shows that men tend to be given more projects and increased responsibility and, as a result, have better promotional opportunities. Good workplaces, on the other hand, are good for everyone, and 92 per cent of employees in best workplaces agree with the statement: ‘People here are treated fairly regardless of their sex or gender’. These are companies which support diversity and equality within their cultures.

How companies are creating “great places to work”

“Workday does something different with annual reviews that have been the bedrock of traditional HR for decades. We feel they are stale, backward looking, and inevitably negative. The annual review is now an opportunity in Workday to sit down with employees and talk about what they want to do in the next 12 months, not dwell on what happened in the past. Performance enablement is 90 per cent future-focused, it creates a completely different mindset and puts everybody on the front foot, feeling more positive about jobs and careers.”

DHL: How to thank staff for their hard work? DHL carried out an employee opinion, listening to suggestions about what kind of activities and initiatives staff wanted to see in the workplace. As a result, it introduced an "appreciation week" included yoga, mindfulness and meditation, picnics and breakfasts, health checks and a breast cancer awareness talk.