Apparently, engineers employed in the UK engineering and manufacturing sectors are unhappy. Not in their choice of occupation, but in the specific job environment where they are employed at the moment, according to a recent OnePoll survey, conducted by taking to 2000 engineers in November 2015. The survey finds that 25% of respondents were ‘Quite or Extremely Unhappy’ in their jobs, with one in five are already actively job hunting. The people behind the survey, “Investors in People”, therefore conclude that statistically, 49% of UK engineers will be looking to move jobs in 2016, as the UK economy improves. This expansion is expected to create more opportunities for job changers, compared to what has been available in the last five years.
Paul Devoy, head of Investors in People comments on these conclusions as follows: “As the economy improves, many employers run the risk of losing their valuable, skilled staff. Small things can make a big difference. Feeling valued, understanding their role in the organisation and how they can grow with an organisation are all big concerns for UK workers. Saying thank you, involving employees in decisions and giving them responsibility over their work are basic ways to make staff happier, and more likely to stay. Employers also win with a more committed workforce, higher retention and a clearer view of the future.”
There he expresses the message that Investors in People were possibly looking for when conducting their survey: as is often said, statistics can be used to prove anything. Investors in People is a UK consultancy organisation that advises and trains employers, telling them how to promote better ‘People Management’ in industry. So while manufacturing and engineering are feeling squeezed, and probably not investing in HR-type training, possibly the market and sales income at Investors in People has dried up? Would it not be good marketing for such consultants to suggest that key employees were about to move unless their employers looked to remove some of the causes of dissatisfaction, just as the market turns up?
Investors in People has produced a report showing the survey findings, called ‘Job Exodus Trends in 2016’, it is available from their website (www.investorsinpeople.com/jobexodus2016). It shows that 1 in 5 workers in the engineering and manufacturing sectors are complaining of the lack of career progression (21%), a similar number (22%) say they don’t feel valued as a member of staff and nearly a quarter are unhappy with their levels of pay (23%). These they suggest are the factors that are creating a potential mass exodus of engineers.
Asking the right questions
Investors in People chose to pose their survey as a choice between two scenarios of increased benefits – either a 3% pay rise, which is in line with recent UK increases, or a different non-remuneration benefit to work conditions, aimed at the possible problems of being badly managed or feeling undervalued. They wanted to establish that pay is important to employees, but that it is not the only answer. The significant answers were as follows:
• Over a third (36%) said they would prefer a more flexible approach to working hours than a 3% pay rise.
• Nearly a third (32%) said they would rather have a clear career progression route.
• A similar number (29%) would rather their employer invested in their training and development more.
The survey also suggested that simple management actions can make a significant difference to employees. When the survey participants were asked what one thing their employer could do to increase their happiness in their current role, 1 in 11 (9%) just wanted to be told ‘Thank You’ more; and 1 in 9 (11%) wanted more clarity on their career progression options.
Devoy concludes: “Improved salaries over recent months mean that pay is less of a gripe for UK workers. But longstanding issues around poor management and how valued people feel in their work continue to make UK workers miserable. We know (from a previous IIP study) that bad leadership alone costs the UK about £39 billion a year. If employers addressed these factors, they would have a more committed workforce and far fewer resources tied up in constant recruitment drives.”
Nick Denbow spent 30 years as a UK-based process instrumentation marketing manager, and then changed sides – becoming a freelance editor and starting Processingtalk.com. Avoiding retirement, he published the INSIDER automation newsletter for five years, and then acted as their European correspondent. He is now a freelance Automation and Control reporter and newsletter publisher, with a blog on www.nickdenbow.com
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