Salary Is Top Draw for Job Candidates but Benefits Nearly As Popular
A recent survey by by Robert Half International suggests that successfully wooing job candidates takes more than salary alone. While 37 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said offering higher compensation than competitors is the most effective incentive for attracting accounting professionals, nearly as many (33 percent) felt the benefits package had the greatest influence, up from just 2 percent five years ago.
The findings also suggest traditional incentives are a higher priority today: While the popularity of benefits surged, the number of financial executives who feel telecommuting and flexible work schedules are the top draw fell 20 points, from 33 percent in 2003 to 13 percent in 2008. The survey results further suggest that rising medical costs have increased the value workers place on healthcare benefits options, and employers need to respond accordingly. Companies that do not provide comprehensive employment packages, including competitive compensation and insurance programs, risk losing top job candidates to other opportunities, says the company.
Top Executives Cite Competition, Global Economy, Attracting and Retaining Talent as Top Threats to their Companies’ Success
Competition, the health of the global economy and attracting and retaining the best talent top the list of threats to business success for senior executives at some of the world’s largest companies, according to a survey released today by Accenture. According to the findings, executives perceive the top five threats to business success as competition (cited by 73 percent of executives), the health of the global economy and the inability to attract and retain the best talent (67 percent each), company reputation (62 percent) and the inability to develop new products and services (51 percent).
These same issues topped the list of threats cited in a similar survey that Accenture conducted in 2005. The one issue that has increased in importance, however, is that of talent, which was cited by 60 percent of executives in 2005 and rose to 67 percent in the new survey. Globalization is raising a number of concerns among the executives surveyed. More than half (56 percent) said they are concerned or very concerned about the impact of the global economy on business. Respondents also expressed concerns about their ability to maintain a common corporate culture (cited by 54 percent), as well as service remote customers effectively and understand local ways of doing business (52 percent each). One in five (21 percent) said their organizations are not adequately equipped to succeed as global enterprises.
|
