• Marketing Mag Website

  • Marketing Network

Network Network

network

business and careersresource

brought to you by
brought to you by

Retaining promising employees

this article
  • Page 1 of 2
  • 0
  • 23

Jennie Smiedt is a senior consultant at The SG Group, a specialist marketing recruitment agency. For more information about The SG Group, visit.

Advertise with us

Top five marketing employers

1. HOST
2. RedBalloon Days
3. Horizon Communication Group
4. BoilerRoom
5. Zinc Group

Marketing Employer of the Year survey 2006

In the current environment of low unemployment, staff retention is critical. Jennie Smiedt shares some insights gleaned from the latest Marketing Employer of the Year survey.

Acquisition, life cycle planning, retention. If you’re a direct marketer you think about these aspects of a customer journey on a daily basis. But have you ever thought about your employees in the same way? At The SG Group we are encouraging our clients to think more strategically about how to go about attracting the right candidates and then retaining them. It’s the reason behind our continual support of the annual Marketing Employer of the Year survey. The survey has been running for five years and in 2006 more than 370 individuals from 45 companies participated – from both agency and in-house marketing teams.

A great way to start understanding how to retain people is to look at reasons why they would want to leave. In the 2006 Marketing Employer of the Year survey we found the top five reasons to be (in order): better salary, better career prospects, to work for someone who inspires them, to have a more flexible working style and changing career.

What we can clearly see from these results is that it’s vital to provide employees with a clear career path, and this is as equally important for acquisition as it is for retention. Lesley Brydon, executive director of the Advertising Federation of Australia, says, “The key thing graduates are looking for from an employer is a defined career path and the opportunity for personal and professional growth. This was a clear priority – more important than travel opportunities and financial incentives.” Regular performance appraisals can help you understand the career aspirations of your current workforce and gives individuals a game plan in order to work toward those goals. In the words of Bono, “I’m tired of dreaming. I’m into doing at the moment. It’s like, let’s only have goals that we can go after.”

A lack of inspirational leadership is another factor that can push the people you need most out the door. Every year in the Marketing Employer of the Year survey we have found that the most successful companies have a leader who is full of positive energy. Being positive and inspiring is not limited to being an upbeat, energetic type; it’s more about your attitude toward your people. Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager has this insight: “Too many leaders act as if the sheep – their people – are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.”

The push for flexibility comes from individuals who are crying out to be noticed as being human beings not human resource.

The McCrindle Research Study 2006 reveals that the average retention rate per job per employee is just four years. And people aren’t just jumping from company to company, but changing career entirely. Generation Y is our most formally educated generation and has myriad options when it comes to career choice. They don’t believe they should be limited to just one or two careers during their working life. This desire to change career may sound like a factor outside of the employer’s control. And it probably is if the individual is looking to completely opt out of marketing altogether. But the idea of changing career may be masking a greater need for challenge and stimulation that may be provided elsewhere in the company.

An overwhelming 95 percent of respondents in the 2006 Marketing Employer of the Year survey claimed that they were unlikely to leave their current job within the next 12 months. All respondents were asked to give insight as to what makes them stay, the top five reasons being: they enjoy their job, they have a good working environment, their colleagues are easy to get on with, they are proud of their brand or company and they feel valued.

“Because those needs are being met, they are less inclined to move on for reasons like financial satisfaction, location and holiday entitlement. Managers of marketers and agency staff would be well-advised to investigate just how many of their staff would actually say ‘I enjoy my job’,” says Jacqui Pollock, The SG Group’s managing director. Job satisfaction being at the top of the list really just sums up the other four reasons listed.

The onus of a good working environment comes down to the people at the top. Naomi Simson, CEO of RedBalloon Days, which was ranked overall second in the 2006 Marketing Employer of the Year survey, says, “My role as CEO is actually ‘chief experience officer’ and I am responsible for the experience that everyone has with RedBalloon, including my team. RedBalloon Days’ philosophy is all about giving great pleasure, both to its customers and to its staff. We give great days out through our experiences and we provide great days ‘in’ for our team.”

  • Article links
  • Article links

Be the first to have your say...

To have your say, login at the top of the page or register free and start commenting.