Design & Branding people have their say
A recent study by Blue Skies Marketing Recruitment asked a sample of people working in the design & branding sector their thoughts on what they considered most important to them when looking for a new job, and what the key factors were that would keep them in their current role.
The majority listed career progression higher than a salary increase, as their number one priority when choosing their next role. Maybe surprisingly, the majority of those who have spent a relatively short period of time in their profession (3 years or less) also said career progression was their most important consideration. This flies in the face of the assumption that people just starting out in their careers are often more concerned with salary; to ensure they’re getting paid enough to pay bills, student loans and travel costs while leaving them enough to be able to enjoy themselves.
This trend is supported by the statistics quoted in Design Week’s March salary survey that state for those starting out in account management; junior roles across the UK have seen a significant rise in average pay in the last year. In London, salaries rose seven per cent to £24,962, while non-London roles experienced an increase of five per cent to £22,445. While we haven’t seen a marked rise or fall in salary levels in 2008, it seems that as a result of salary movement in recent years, juniors today can now afford to concentrate on their career prospects rather than monetary gains.
This trend continues with senior candidates, as reported in the 2008 Blue Skies Executive Salary Survey. The survey reports senior candidates are being motivated to change roles to gain increased job satisfaction rather than just a salary increase. Whilst salary is important, long term opportunities are the driving factor behind changing jobs.
A salary increase may not have been the top consideration when looking elsewhere for a job, but it was the most popular incentive that, if offered, would make candidates think twice about moving on. The number of agencies who counter offer in a bid to retain their talented employees may increase as a direct result of today’s candidate led market. Talented people are in high demand and can literally pick and choose where they would like to work, so retaining these people is seen as of utmost importance.
Agencies are improving their soft benefits packages in order to attract and retain talented people. Increases in demand on time and resource is becoming more evident, and consultancies are realising they need to show they value their employees.
Annabelle Johnson, Head of Design & Branding at Blue Skies states “Inside firms with recruitment issues, the increased workload and pressure may lead to a negative loop where employees leave in search of a more relaxed working environment, placing more stress on the remaining staff.” She adds “To combat this, some consultancies have begun offering more flexible working practices. This includes avoiding the late working agency culture and offering five weeks’ annual holiday plus Christmas as part of a package. Perhaps because money is tighter than many would admit, other staff incentives are becoming more widely available. Other soft perks may also include extras such as a mobile phone and laptop, the option to work from home, gym membership and free breakfast and fruit.”
The research reveals today’s candidates often use a change of job as a way of moving their career prospects on. Career development plans can therefore be an important tool to retain current staff for longer and to attract new talent. By setting a bespoke plan, an employee’s personal and professional development within their current role and the overall company structure is easier to measure and build.
As an agency expands, development mapping is essential to forward plan where employees may be tasked with increased management responsibilities. Investment in management training results in better prepared, well respected and ultimately more commercially savvy leaders who can then go on to nurture successful departments.
Our research also highlighted a large number of candidates would choose to stay in their current role solely because of an inspiring manager. A good leader, one who can effectively motivate, support and praise their team, is obviously an important, but maybe over looked and underappreciated staff retention tool.
While competitive salaries are obviously important to candidates, benefit packages varying from tangible financial bonuses based on company performance to soft benefits, are increasingly more important in the decision making process. However, as career prospects are candidates’ number one priority, creating tailored development plans can be instrumental in keeping skilled candidates working within the agency rather than losing them to competitors.
Tags: benefits, career progression, design and branding, survey
