Plateau survey reveals UK workers are ready to jump for the right offer

Despite high overall job satisfaction, most UK workers would consider job offers - citing salary and career opportunities. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) March 18, 2011 - A recent survey of over 2,000 UK workers conducted by YouGov on behalf of Plateau Systems reveals that, despite high overall job satisfaction among workers (62%), a large majority (72%) of employed full time/part time & not self-employed workers would consider a new job opportunity if approached.

After several years of deep recession marked by widespread redundancies, benefit reductions, and pay cuts, many might assume workers would be singing 'Can't get no satisfaction', and actively on the hunt for new jobs.

However, the survey indicates that most workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their current employment (62%) and fewer than one in five have an updated profile or CV/resume on a job board or networking site such as LinkedIn or Monster. This is true even among highly-skilled professionals (ABC1).

But despite this, there is a large majority of passive job seekers lurking. Workers surveyed say they would consider a new job or career opportunity if approached, even if they're not actively looking (72%) - and the percentage is even higher among skilled professionals (ABC1), at 74 per cent.

The survey further reveals that the desire for higher salary (46%), career and/or advancement opportunities (27%) or general change (27%) are the top three reasons cited by workers as the reason they are actively and passively job hunting. Active job seekers cite career and/or advancement opportunities as the number one reason for looking (42%).

Jeff Kristick, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Plateau, commented: "The large percentage of passive job seekers represented by this survey shows that employers need to get a clear view of their workforce as the economy improves and they must be proactive in raising the level of employee engagement. While many might be satisfied just to have a job when their neighbors do not, we could see a tipping point emerge where passive seekers become active very quickly."

Kristick continued: "It was also interesting to see how consistent the responses were when compared with the results of our survey in the US. This is clearly a global issue."

In this environment, HR leaders have the opportunity make a significant impact on workers' perceptions, if not the reality of their circumstances. One way they can do this is by giving a high priority to putting in place career and development programmes - for example, ensuring that employees have a career plan in place that gives them a clear picture of their future with the firm.

HR can also play a role in providing greater transparency around what it takes to meet advancement opportunities - for example, by establishing position-based competencies. Additionally, linking pay to performance can help ensure that top-performing and high-potential employees are fairly compensated and, thus, are less likely to jump when a competing firm comes calling.

For full details of the survey, contact Bob Little Press & PR (01727 860405/ bob.little ( @ ) boblittlepr dot com)

Methodology
This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered members of the YouGov Plc GB panel of 185,000+ individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. An email was sent to panellists selected at random from the base sample according to the sample definition, inviting them to take part in the survey and providing a link to the survey. (The sample definition could be 'GB adult population' or a subset such as 'GB adult females'). YouGov Plc normally achieves a response rate of between 35% and 50% to surveys. However this does vary, dependent upon the subject matter, complexity and length of the questionnaire. The responding sample is weighted to the profile of the sample definition to provide a representative reporting sample. The profile is normally derived from census data or, if not available from the census, from industry accepted data.

About Plateau
Plateau Systems is the industry's premier provider of enterprise-class SaaS talent management suites. Major global corporations and government agencies, including General Electric, the U.S. Air Force and Capital One Services are using Plateau's integrated talent management solutions to improve productivity and facilitate strategic workforce initiatives around learning, performance, compensation and career and succession management. Plateau is widely recognized throughout the industry for its commitment to customer satisfaction, forward-thinking vision and for consistently delivering best-in-class functionality. Founded in 1996, Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Va. and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Further information:
Trip Kucera, Corporate Communications, Plateau Systems, +1 703-678-0102, trip.kucera ( @ ) plateau dot com

Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405, bob.little ( @ ) boblittlepr dot com

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