Fifty-nine per cent of Singaporean workers are prepared to stay for longer than five years with their employee according to a survey of 1,183 employees conducted by recruitment specialists,
Hays.
Of those remaining, 30% say they’ll stay up to five years while 11% will change jobs every one or two years.
“Most Singaporeans at heart do believe in job loyalty,” said Lynne Roeder, managing director of Hays in Singapore. “Today almost 60 per cent of us want to stay with our employer for five years or more suggesting that, for most of us at least, stability, security and loyalty are important.”
Roeder said the onus was on employers to tap into this loyalty and help retain their staff through a combination of the following:
- Ongoing training and development
- Regular reviews & promotional opportunities
- Sticking to promises made during recruitment
“As long as staff are offered stimulating work and their career continues to advance, most will stay,” she said. “A lack of career progression is the number one reason people come to us looking for their next job, so we can’t emphasise enough the importance of putting career development plans in place.”
The positive benefits of tapping into this loyalty can be seen amongst Singapore’s top companies.
HRD talked to some of our Employer of Choice winners about how they encouraged employees to stay on in the long term.
Lynn Pua, head of HR for Southeast Asia at Jardine OneSolution, said work/life integration programs such as working from home or staggered working hours keep staff at the company for longer.
“Not many companies out there go extra mile to introduce this work/life integration,” she said. “If employees want to look for potential employment out there, they will think about the work/life integration initiatives that we have here. They are unlikely to find this elsewhere so they stay and work for us.”
Derick Ooi, HR manager at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway which is owned by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, said their unique network of properties can encourage loyalty in those who wish to leave the company.
“Basically I talk to them,” he said. “If we can help them in terms of any good positions or good career plans for them within the company, we always recommend them.”
“We have people actually coming back to me and saying, ‘Oh, is there a good opportunity at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts?’ We have a lot of properties for them to choose from.”
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Preparing for a less-loyal workforce
Flexible working can make or break employers
Singapore HR: It’s time to fully embrace flexible working
