Right now nearly two out of three of your admin staff are either actively looking for a new job, or considering moving on, according to research released today by recruitment firm OfficeTeam, a division of Robert Half International.
OfficeTeam’s survey of 540 Australian administrative professionals found that 59 percent of administrative and office support staff are actively seeking or considering looking for a new job. More than half (54 percent) of those that are looking said that better career development was the reason.
“Our research shows that administrative staff are no different from employees in other parts of the business; they regularly evaluate their career aspirations and make plans for the future. Employers who do not provide their administrative staff with the right development opportunities will risk losing them to other companies,” said Associate Director of OfficeTeam, Mr Stephen Langhammer.
With the employment market tight, reducing staff churn by engaging and cultivating existing talent within the organisation – including the admin team – can reduce disruption, loss of company knowledge, improve morale and help the business grow.
Survey respondents highlighted the following as important factors in their decisions to stay:
– feeling valued
– access to adequate training and development courses
– providing growth opportunities, including involvement in tasks across the business, that are outside their role
– attendance at conferences and industry events
– being mentored.
One in four of the admin staff surveyed said they wanted increased responsibility, and more than one in five said that they were bored, and believed there were that there were more job opportunities in the market. With two thirds of employers who took part in the survey saying they are concerned about current staff leaving their organisation in the next 12 months, implementing some simple measures could help businesses retain staff.
“Businesses need to regularly seek and listen to feedback from their administrative staff and look at what they can realistically do to boost morale and satisfaction in the workplace – with a particular focus on career development and training,” said Mr Langhammer.
“Training doesn’t necessarily have to come with a high price tag. Businesses can introduce some economically sound training schemes such as in-house training using skill sets already available within the business, introduce mentoring programs which are becoming more common, internet training courses and by giving staff exposure to additional tasks outside their current role.”
