A PUSH UP THE CAREER LADDER - Survey: Offering Professional Development,
Promoting Top Performers Most Popular Retention Tools

TORONTO, March 18 /CNW/ - Most executives (77 per cent) are willing to sweeten the pot to avoid losing their best employees when economic conditions improve, suggests a new Accountemps survey. More than half (54 per cent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said they plan to increase investment in professional development and training. Forty-six per cent intend on promoting top performers, and forty-two per cent intend to raise salaries to retain their staff.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, "Which of the following steps are you taking or do you plan to take to retain your employees as the economy improves?" Their responses*:

    
    Increasing investment in professional development................... 54%
    Promoting top performers............................................ 46%
    Raising salaries.................................................... 42%
    Reinstating or increasing bonuses................................... 28%
    Enhancing benefits.................................................. 25%
    No steps............................................................ 23%

    *Multiple responses allowed; a total of 77 per cent of respondents
    chose at least one step
    

"Improving economic conditions means more plentiful career opportunities for workers, including a company's most valuable employees," said Deborah Bottineau, a vice president with Accountemps' Canadian operations. "Retention needs to be a primary concern for employers or they risk losing their top performers and competitive edge."

Now is the time to re-recruit your standout employees, explained Bottineau. "Investing in professional development is advantageous to the organization and also shows employees you support their career path. Promotions and salary increases also should be included in a company's retention strategy to demonstrate to staff you value their contributions."

About the Survey

The Canadian study was developed by Accountemps, a division of Robert Half International and the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 270 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

About Accountemps

Accountemps has more than 360 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com. Follow Accountemps for workplace news at www.twitter.com/accountemps.

For further information: Kristie Perrotte, [phone], [email protected]