Why 73% of staff dream of being somewhere else

This week I participated in the Dream Employers launch in Sydney. The comments from panellists, and the general observations from panellists and attendees, were interesting (much content for many blogs).

In August, Insync Surveys, with RedBalloon and Talent2, asked people to say who they thought was Australia and New Zealand’s dream employer.

There are a number of “best employer” and “employer of choice” surveys, voted for by people within organisations. We wanted to know which companies people wished they worked for – who has the best “employer brand”.

I am pleased to say that many home grown businesses made the list, though there was still strong representation of global brands.

Most notably, Australians and New Zealanders want to work in a fun environment; 80% of the dream employers promote mixing work and play.

It is all about the brand. The company’s reputation/brand is the number-one attribute that drives interest for job seekers.

Interestingly, 73% of people think that the grass is greener somewhere else – they are not working for their dream employer. And for every self-employed person, there are seven who wish they were.

Negative work culture is voted most likely to tarnish an employer brand. Given that a third of people will decide in the first month of employment when they plan to leave a job, it is imperative that employers really set expectations and manage them before people commit to a role.

Organisations simply cannot over-promise and under-deliver. People want to believe in the business they are joining. Transparency and authenticity are critical to that. The first days and weeks in a new role are critical in fulfilling what a new employee believes the brand promise is. Managing those expectations on the way in is important.

“Many people might not know what Google employees actually do all day, but they still want to do it,” says James Garriock, CEO of Insync Surveys.

I had a similar feeling when hearing about a recent intake of inductees at the Apple Store in Sydney. As their arrival was announced, everyone in the store stopped and cheered – high expectations had been set about what it is like to work for Apple. Yet as I remember from my days as an Apple employee, it is not all peaches and cream; forecasts, stock management, compliance all still have to be done. Being starry-eyed about the brand might be great on the way in, but it is still a business and employees need to work hard to achieve objectives.

This poses the question of perception meeting reality. Years ago when I worked at Ansett Airlines it was considered glamorous to work for an airline; but with early starts and a tough schedule, after a very short time it did not seem that glamorous – there was a lot of hard work involved.

The research found key attributes attract potential employees regardless of the industry: image and reputation drive attraction.

See a full copy of the report at www.dreamemployers.com.au

Naomi Simson is considered one of Australia’s ‘Best Bosses’. She is an employee engagement advocate and practices what she preaches in her own business. RedBalloon has been named as one of only six Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand for 2009 and awarded an engagement scorecard of over 90% two years in a row – the average in Australian businesses is 55%. RedBalloon has also been nominated by BRW as being in the top 10 Best Places to Work in Australia behind the likes of Google. One of Australia’s outstanding female entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a passionate speaker inspiring people on employer branding, engagement and reward and recognition. Naomi writes a blog and is a published author – and has received many accolades and awards for the business she founded – RedBalloon.com.au.