Employees in the U.K. Least Likely To Ask for A Promotion

- New independent survey reveals insights, priorities and differences of employees and job hunters in the U.K. across age, geography and gender

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- U.K. employees are the least likely to ask for a job promotion or request help in finding a mentor, according to the 2012 HR Beat, an international survey of hiring managers and HR professionals. The independent research, conducted by Dimensional Research and commissioned by SuccessFactors, an SAP company, questioned more than 1,500 HR leaders and hiring managers throughout the U.S., Australia, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and the U.K.  Among all the countries surveyed, hiring managers in the U.K. are also the least likely to use Facebook to communicate with employees or use social media to identify prospective job candidates.

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"British culture is deep rooted in modesty with the majority of people having an aversion to overt self-promotion, and when it comes to asking for help," said Paul Roberts, UK Country Manager for SuccessFactors. "Culturally, British employees would much rather be judged and noticed on merit, results and hard work. There is also a longstanding etiquette that deems discussion about pay rises and promotions to be crass, which could explain some of the cultural influences behind these findings."

Key research findings include:

• Don't Just Show Me The Money….
  Job hunters in the U.K. (89 per cent) and employees in the U.K. (83 per cent) are looking for non-financial benefits, beyond what they were initially offered. When requesting additional benefits, job candidates in the U.K. asked for flexible work hours (59 per cent) and higher pay (58 per cent), whilst 45 per cent of employees in the U.K. want flexible work hours. Employees in the U.K. also want time off work to volunteer (20 per cent).
• Bright Young Things Learn Then Earn
  Millennials in the U.K. (those younger than 33 years old) want to be developed and nurtured in the workplace, and millennial job candidates are more likely to request training (47 per cent) and mentors. By contrast, Generation X employees (those 33-50 years old) in the U.K. are most likely to ask for a non-scheduled bonus (41 per cent), and Generation X job hunters in the U.K. are most likely to ask for a jump in status with a higher job title (40 per cent). Baby Boomers (those over 50 years old) in the U.K. who are looking for jobs are most likely to ask for a hiring bonus (9 per cent) or a flexible work location (8 per cent).
• Men in the U.K. Want Money. Women in the U.K. Want Quality of Work/Life Balance
  Overall, female job candidates and female employees in the U.K. are more likely to ask for flexible work hours, flexible work locations, and more holiday time than their male counterparts. Male job candidates and male employees in the U.K. are more likely to ask for a bonus, more pay or a bigger title.

"The days of providing a one-size-fits-all benefits package and expecting employees to be happy are long gone." said Dr Karie Willyerd, an executive at SuccessFactors and co-author of The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today. "Business leaders who recognise the importance of tailoring benefits, and providing training and mentoring programmes will gain competitive advantage, win the talent wars, and conquer the generation gap. The 2012 HR Beat findings into the different drivers and incentives across generation, gender and geography will help companies to better identify, attract and retain top talent by understanding their priorities and delivering creative benefits and perks."

UK Social Media Lag

Less than half (47 per cent) of hiring managers in the U.K. use social media or CV sites to identify job candidates, such as LinkedIn (28 per cent), Facebook (21 per cent) or CV search sites (12 per cent). Of all those surveyed, hiring managers in the U.K. are also the least likely to use Xing (2 per cent) to identify job candidates. Likewise, only 38 per cent of hiring managers in the U.K. use social media or texting to communicate with job candidates. In fact, of all those surveyed, the hiring managers in the U.K. are the least likely country to use Facebook to communicate with job candidates (11 per cent).

Most Common Globally Requested Employee Perks

Across all countries, age groups and genders, the survey found that the most commonly requested employee perks include:

• Free drinks (tea, coffee, soft drinks, water, etc.) – 18 per cent
• Smartphones and tablets for personal use – 17 per cent
• Time off to volunteer – 16 per cent
• Free massages – 8 per cent
• Laundry services – 8 per cent

International Hiring Difficulties Creating Broad Business Impact

Thirty-eight per cent of all global respondents noted that they have delayed entrance into new markets and 28 per cent reported that they've avoided entrance all together because of the difficulty in hiring internationally.

"Companies of all sizes are operating beyond local markets thanks to the internet and a truly global economy," said Roberts. "However, labour laws, red tape and cultural differences can complicate or even deter international expansion. Human Capital Management software can be helpful as HR leaders navigate the requirements, manage their people and grow their business."

Research Methodology

SuccessFactors, an SAP company, commissioned independent technology market research specialists, Dimensional Research, to conduct the survey. In September 2012, more than 1,500 hiring managers and HR professionals, from independent databases, participated in the online survey. The survey covered the United States, Western Europe (France, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K.) and Australia. Survey participants represented a wide range of company sizes and vertical industries. To obtain a full copy of the research report, '2012 HR Beat: A Survey on the Pulse of Today's Global Workforce', please visit sfsf.ly/hrbeat and follow the news on Twitter at hashtag #HRBeat.

About SuccessFactors, An SAP Company

SuccessFactors, an SAP Company, is the leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution Software, and delivers business alignment, team execution, people performance, and learning management solutions to organizations of all sizes across more than 60 industries. With approximately 15 million subscription seats globally, we strive to delight our customers by delivering innovative solutions, content and analytics, process expertise and best practices insights from serving our broad and diverse customer base. Today, we have more than 3,500 customers in more than 168 countries using our application suite in 35 languages.

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