Canadian Companies Shift Focus to Worker Retention
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Canadian Companies Shift Focus to Worker Retention
TORONTO March 29, 2010 In order to forestall employee departures as the job market is expected to improve this year, Canadian companies are stepping up their retention efforts, according to a new survey conducted by Right Management. The firm surveyed more than 2,000 senior executives throughout Canada on their human resource priorities. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the global leader in employment services.
More than half of respondents (54%) expressed the need to retain high-value employees, making it their top 2010 priority along with aligning the workforce with business strategy. This is a striking shift from 2008, when just 15% of Canadian employers cited retention as a main concern.
What are your top three talent priorities?
Align workforce with business strategy | 58% |
Retain high-value employees | 54% |
Increase employee engagement | 51% |
Develop leaders | 47% |
Identify/develop high-potential talent | 35% |
Attract quality hires | 24% |
Workforce reduction/transition | 15% |
Redeploy critical talent | 13% |
“It’s no secret that many employees, although glad still to have a job, feel trapped where they are because of the recession,” said Right Management Vice President Dr. Henryk Krajewski. “Moreover, company surveys are finding widespread employee discontent as well as intention to seek a new position. Organizations want to meet this challenge before it becomes unmanageable.”
According to Krajewski, retaining valued employees is always an issue for HR departments. “But economic stresses have tended to push retention off the agenda for the past two years or more. But now, looking over the horizon, employers are moving to engage their workers and to bring them into line with business objectives.”
While the findings suggest a reviving job market, there is little evidence Canadian companies will step up hiring any time soon, observed Krajewski. “Employers face a tough challenge. Currently disgruntled employees are likely to remain disengaged as there won’t be many new opportunities for them to jump to. So, for the immediate future, employers and employees are more or less stuck with one another. Management needs to take immediate action to re-engage employees, and get them committed and re-aligned to the business.”
The online survey of 2,107 senior HR and line executives across Canada was conducted in December.
About Right Management
Right Management (www.right.com) is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the global leader in employment services. Right Management helps clients win in the changing world of work by designing and executing workforce solutions that align talent strategy with business strategy. Our expertise spans Talent Assessment, Leader Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Engagement, and Workforce Transition and Outplacement. With offices in over 50 countries, Right Management partners with companies of all sizes. More than 80% of Fortune 500 companies are currently working with us to help them grow talent, reduce costs and accelerate performance. Our 30 offices across Canada are uniquely positioned to help you.
Media Contact: Meredith Evans. Regional Marketing Manager, Right Management, 416-926-1324, or
meredith.evans@right.com