Employee poaching rising, employers need to do more

The improving economy is behind an increase in employee poaching and shows a gap in employer strategy to retain staff, a recruitment firm says.
Thu, 16 Oct 2014
The improving economy is behind an increase in employee poaching and shows a gap in employer strategy to retain staff, a recruitment firm says.

More than half (60%) of HR professionals have reported an increase in the number of offers received by employees from rival companies over the past year, a survey by HR recruitment firm Ortus shows.

Most of those surveyed (75%) said career development was cited as a primary reason for the employee leaving.

Less than half (30%) were willing to make counter-offers, including guarantees about career progression.

Despite the increased risk of losing employees to rival firms, only 47% of HR professionals said their company had a strategy to deal with staff retention.

Ortus managing consultant Nicholas Croucher said while the improving economy was great news for jobseekers, as companies look to hire new talent, employers have a limited pool to choose from. Therefore, “it’s clear companies need to work harder to retain their top talent”, he said.

“Companies are generous in monetary terms when it comes to counter-offers but need to be more creative – employees aren’t exclusively focused on remuneration.”

The research surveyed 138 HR professionals.

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