Tokyo, Mar 5, 2012 - (JCN Newswire) - Eighty five per cent of companies in Japan have involuntarily lost experienced staff to another company in the past year, according to research by recruiting experts Hays.
According to the survey, one third (33 per cent) of those who made a mid-career change did so for career advancement. Other factors driving people to make a mid-career change include securing a higher salary (29 per cent), the opportunity to specialise in a new field (22 per cent) and work/life balance improvements (22 per cent).
Christine Wright, Managing Director of Hays in Japan, says these findings highlight the need for companies in Japan to improve their retention strategies.
"As more people move to a new company mid-career, more businesses are losing experienced staff," she said. "This fundamental change to Japan's recruitment market is forcing employers to adapt by developing a solid retention plan. Any company that fails to recognise this shift and create a retention plan is in danger of losing their top talent to competitors who are actively seeking to attract experienced staff."
According to Christine, a business can develop a retention plan in the following ways:
- Recruit well: "Retention starts with great recruitment. This includes having a plan, benchmarking what makes someone successful in your organisation and recruiting to this criteria. A recruiter will help you with this process."
- Career advancement: "As our survey shows, the main reason people decide to make a mid-career change is to gain career advancement. That's why we urge companies to consider if their staff know what opportunities are available to them for advancement. It can be difficult for small organisations to offer opportunities but career advancement is not restricted to promotion. Can you offer additional responsibility, such as supervising other employees, coaching and training others, managing projects or chairing meetings?"
- Training and development: "Related to career advancement is the provision of training and development opportunities. Training and development also has enormous business benefits in that it ensures your staff have the skills and capabilities needed to do their jobs well and make the best contribution possible. But training is not isolated to formal courses; you can also use coaching and mentorships to develop the skills of your staff."
- Salaries: "A higher salary was a motivating factor for 29 per cent of mid-career moves in the last 12 months. As part of your retention plan, regularly check current salary trends to ensure your salaries are in line with market rates. Salary data is available in the form of salary guides, such as the annual Hays Salary Guide. Some companies have salary constraints and if you are unable to offer a competitive salary, we suggest you consider the benefits you could offer, such as pension, health, housing allowance, life assurance or club or gym membership."
- Work/life balance: "According to our survey, work/life balance improvements were a motivating factor for 22 per cent of mid-career moves made in the past 12 months. To stem this flow, consider how you can genuinely support work/life balance as part of your retention plan."
- Performance management: "Performance management is central to retention and can be as simple as a robust, regular appraisal system that is user friendly and which managers are committed to. Formal performance feedback is also critical and is an excellent opportunity to ensure talent is engaged."
- Succession planning: "A simple but effective succession plan identifies up and coming people, simply states what their ambitions and aspirations are, matches their skills against those required in the next role and therefore outlines opportunities for growth. This proves invaluable from both a career mapping perspective for the employee, and also as a tool to allow the employer to quickly identify where team strengths and weaknesses lie."
- Engagement: "Engagement is critical for a successful employer-employee relationship. When considering the engagement level and the needs of employees, we advise companies to open the lines of communication with staff. Ask for your employees' opinions on key engagement factors in your organisation through such methods as annual employee opinion surveys, online forums or regular performance reviews. A company intranet or newsletter and exit interviews can also aid in this process."
- Decision making: "Inclusion is also important to retention. Ensure employees have a feeling of inclusion and are empowered to make decisions. Allowing people to be part of the decision making process, particularly in relation to decisions that affect their jobs and the overall direction of the company when possible, engages them with your business."
The survey was conducted in November 2011 of 200 people who had changed jobs mid-career within the past 12 months and 200 people who have hired a mid-career changer within the past 12 months, such as hiring managers, HR managers, HR specialist or HR coordinators.
Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.
About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. It is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK ("Hays Japan") operates across the private sector, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. Hays Japan is the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate specialist business units composed of professionals with experience and expertise in the sectors they cover. Hays Japan's thirteen specialisms span Accountancy & Finance, Banking, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Hays Resource Management, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing and Supply Chain.
Hays Japan is also the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate three local offices, serving the Kanto region from Akasaka and Shinjuku, and Kansai from central Osaka.
Hays Japan is the local representative office for Hays plc, which is a global company with more than 7,988 staff operating from 247 offices across 31 countries.
Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, United Kingdom and USA.
Source: Hays
Contact:
Copyright 2011 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.japancorp.net
According to the survey, one third (33 per cent) of those who made a mid-career change did so for career advancement. Other factors driving people to make a mid-career change include securing a higher salary (29 per cent), the opportunity to specialise in a new field (22 per cent) and work/life balance improvements (22 per cent).
Christine Wright, Managing Director of Hays in Japan, says these findings highlight the need for companies in Japan to improve their retention strategies.
"As more people move to a new company mid-career, more businesses are losing experienced staff," she said. "This fundamental change to Japan's recruitment market is forcing employers to adapt by developing a solid retention plan. Any company that fails to recognise this shift and create a retention plan is in danger of losing their top talent to competitors who are actively seeking to attract experienced staff."
According to Christine, a business can develop a retention plan in the following ways:
- Recruit well: "Retention starts with great recruitment. This includes having a plan, benchmarking what makes someone successful in your organisation and recruiting to this criteria. A recruiter will help you with this process."
- Career advancement: "As our survey shows, the main reason people decide to make a mid-career change is to gain career advancement. That's why we urge companies to consider if their staff know what opportunities are available to them for advancement. It can be difficult for small organisations to offer opportunities but career advancement is not restricted to promotion. Can you offer additional responsibility, such as supervising other employees, coaching and training others, managing projects or chairing meetings?"
- Training and development: "Related to career advancement is the provision of training and development opportunities. Training and development also has enormous business benefits in that it ensures your staff have the skills and capabilities needed to do their jobs well and make the best contribution possible. But training is not isolated to formal courses; you can also use coaching and mentorships to develop the skills of your staff."
- Salaries: "A higher salary was a motivating factor for 29 per cent of mid-career moves in the last 12 months. As part of your retention plan, regularly check current salary trends to ensure your salaries are in line with market rates. Salary data is available in the form of salary guides, such as the annual Hays Salary Guide. Some companies have salary constraints and if you are unable to offer a competitive salary, we suggest you consider the benefits you could offer, such as pension, health, housing allowance, life assurance or club or gym membership."
- Work/life balance: "According to our survey, work/life balance improvements were a motivating factor for 22 per cent of mid-career moves made in the past 12 months. To stem this flow, consider how you can genuinely support work/life balance as part of your retention plan."
- Performance management: "Performance management is central to retention and can be as simple as a robust, regular appraisal system that is user friendly and which managers are committed to. Formal performance feedback is also critical and is an excellent opportunity to ensure talent is engaged."
- Succession planning: "A simple but effective succession plan identifies up and coming people, simply states what their ambitions and aspirations are, matches their skills against those required in the next role and therefore outlines opportunities for growth. This proves invaluable from both a career mapping perspective for the employee, and also as a tool to allow the employer to quickly identify where team strengths and weaknesses lie."
- Engagement: "Engagement is critical for a successful employer-employee relationship. When considering the engagement level and the needs of employees, we advise companies to open the lines of communication with staff. Ask for your employees' opinions on key engagement factors in your organisation through such methods as annual employee opinion surveys, online forums or regular performance reviews. A company intranet or newsletter and exit interviews can also aid in this process."
- Decision making: "Inclusion is also important to retention. Ensure employees have a feeling of inclusion and are empowered to make decisions. Allowing people to be part of the decision making process, particularly in relation to decisions that affect their jobs and the overall direction of the company when possible, engages them with your business."
The survey was conducted in November 2011 of 200 people who had changed jobs mid-career within the past 12 months and 200 people who have hired a mid-career changer within the past 12 months, such as hiring managers, HR managers, HR specialist or HR coordinators.
Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.
About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. It is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK ("Hays Japan") operates across the private sector, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. Hays Japan is the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate specialist business units composed of professionals with experience and expertise in the sectors they cover. Hays Japan's thirteen specialisms span Accountancy & Finance, Banking, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Hays Resource Management, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing and Supply Chain.
Hays Japan is also the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate three local offices, serving the Kanto region from Akasaka and Shinjuku, and Kansai from central Osaka.
Hays Japan is the local representative office for Hays plc, which is a global company with more than 7,988 staff operating from 247 offices across 31 countries.
Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, United Kingdom and USA.
Source: Hays
Contact:
Keiko Asakura Hays Japan Marketing Manager +81 3 3560 2813 Keiko.Asakura@hays.co.jp
Copyright 2011 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.japancorp.net
© 2012 JCN Newswire
