ROBERT WALTERS CAREER LIFESTYLE SURVEY 2013

ROBERT WALTERS CAREER LIFESTYLE SURVEY 2013

INTRODUCTION

Robert Walters' Career Lifestyle Survey provides a comprehensive insight into professionals' working lives and careers. In this summary of the results, we explore what makes people stay in their jobs for long periods and why they might look to move roles, along with their working hours and specific preferences they have regarding their careers. Through these findings, we aim to provide employers with an insight into key motivations and aspirations of professionals currently working in the UK to help them in both their recruitment and retention strategies. Specifically, we examine: ? how often professionals think they should change jobs and their motivations for doing so ? the factors professionals consider key to their career development and how important they feel their

contributions are to the business ? the importance of working overseas to career development ? average weekly working hours and how these differ from the past ? typical annual leave entitlement and how much of this actually gets taken.

METHODOLOGY

The Robert Walters Career Lifestyle Survey is based on responses from 1,420 respondents currently working across a range of professional disciplines (specifically accountancy & finance, compliance, operations, IT, legal, HR, risk, marketing, projects, sales, secretarial & support, tax and treasury) and sectors. The survey asked them a series of questions about their working practices and attitudes to their career.

"Our survey shows a number of important issues facing professionals in the jobs market today. People are working increasingly longer hours but still say work-life balance is very important to their overall job satisfaction. So difficult market conditions are clearly impacting people's employment preferences. However, the overwhelming majority do also think their roles have a notable impact on the success of the business so most do feel that their work is of a significant value." Chris Hickey - CEO of UK Recruitment, Robert Walters.

CONTENTS

02 Changing Jobs and Career Development 04 Job Satisfaction 06 Impact on the Business 08 Working Overseas 10 Working Hours

ROBERT WALTERS CAREER LIFESTYLE SURVEY 01

LACK OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT CAUSES PROFESSIONALS TO CHANGE JOBS

In total, 42% of professionals believe they should change jobs at least every three years, while 62% think they should move roles at least every four years (Chart 1.0). Marketers are keenest to switch positions most frequently, with 57% looking to do so at least every three years. Projects (55%), risk (55%), HR (52%) and compliance (48%) specialists are also relatively eager to change jobs this regularly (Chart 1.2). Professionals in the Midlands like to move roles less frequently than elsewhere in the country, with 38% saying they prefer to do so at least every three years compared to 45% in London and the South East and 40% in the North (Chart 1.4).

Chart 1.0 Frequency professionals believe they should change jobs

Chart 1.1 Factors most likely to cause professionals to leave a role

n 2% Every year

n 20% Every four years

n 12% Every two years n 19% Every five years

n 28% Every three years n 19% Every six years

n 50% Lack of career progression n 28% Difficult boss n 11% Difficult colleagues

n 10% Disappointing salary review n 1% Lack of bonus

Half of the professionals surveyed say a lack of career progression is the factor most likely to cause them to move jobs (Chart 1.1). Approximately a quarter (28%) say a difficult boss would be the main motivation for seeking new opportunities, while around one in ten say difficult colleagues or a disappointing salary. Surprisingly few (1%) would leave a job purely on the basis of not receiving a bonus.

"Businesses need to ensure they offer their employees good career progression opportunities or risk losing them; few professionals are likely to stay at an employer if they feel they can progress quicker elsewhere. To reduce the chances of this happening, organisations need to implement clear career development plans and stick to them. Managing expectations in this way provides specific targets for staff and ensures they are given clear guidance for the future."

Andrew Setchell - Director, Robert Walters.

Chart 1.2 Proportion who believe they should change employers at least every three years by profession

Chart 1.3 Proportion who believe they should change employers at least every three years by basic salary

Accountancy Compliance IT Legal HR Marketing Operations Projects Risk Sales Secretarial Tax Treasury

41% 48% 49% 32% 52% 57% 34% 55% 55% 33% 37% 20% 36%

Less than ?25k ?25 - 40k ?41 - 55k ?56 - 70k ?71 - 85k ?86 - 100k ?101 - 115k ?116 - 130k More than ?130k

38% 44% 41% 41% 46% 44% 47% 21% 49%

02 ROBERT WALTERS INSIGHT SERIES robertwalters.co.uk

Chart 1.4 Proportion who believe they should change employers at least every three years by region

London and South East Midlands North

45% 38% 40%

"Professionals in the Midlands are very loyal and typically tend to stay with their existing employers for long periods. As a general rule, we find people are more likely to pursue progression internally rather than seek opportunities externally. This is primarily because professionals in the region like to build a career with an employer and make a valuable longterm contribution to the business."

Andrew Broster - Director of Midlands and Milton Keynes Recruitment, Robert Walters.

Skills and contribution to business key to career progression

Professionals believe it is their skills and contribution to the business that is the most important factor in determining their career progression (Table 1.0). According to our survey, 65% categorise this factor as `very important' while 33% class it as `important'. Fewer regard the success of the firm as a whole (31%), politics and their ability to position themselves favourably with their managers (29%) and willingness to move jobs (23%) as `very important'.

This overall point is further endorsed by the fact that the highest earners also think it is their skills and contributions that are the most important factor. Specifically, 86% of those earning ?130k+ believe this to be the case - higher than any other salary bracket in the survey (Chart 1.5)

Table 1.0 Importance of specific factors to career progression according to professionals

Skills and contribution to business Success of the firm as a whole Politics and individuals' ability to position themselves favourably with their managers An individual's willingness to move jobs

Very Important 65% 31% 29%

23%

Important 33% 53% 49%

49%

Chart 1.5

Proportion who believe their skills and contribution to the business is `very important' to their career development by basic salary

Chart 1.6

Proportion who think their skills and contribution to the business is `very important' by profession

Less than 25k ?25 - 40k ?41 - 55k ?56 - 70k ?71 - 85k ?86 - 100k ?101 - 115k ?116 - 130k More than ?130k

63% 60% 64% 65% 64% 78% 75% 67% 86%

Accountancy Compliance IT Legal HR Marketing Operations Projects Risk Sales Secretarial Tax Treasury

64% 61% 58% 69% 66% 66% 66% 57% 68% 69% 57% 33% 46%

ROBERT WALTERS CAREER LIFESTYLE SURVEY 03

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