But new research exclusively unveiled in Housing Today indicates that, first, they need to abandon any preconceptions about why people leave and listen more closely to what workers really think.
Staying On is the final stage of an £80,000 study on recruitment and retention commissioned last year by the Housing Corporation and two housing associations – Anglia Housing Group and Northern Counties Housing Association (HT 11 April 2003, page 12). It was carried out by MORI and contains a few surprises for human resources departments.
It shows that management staff and middle managers are less satisfied in their jobs than groups traditionally considered most likely to leave, such as care and support staff and IT specialists.
It found that up to one in five staff leave each year at the nine associations surveyed and, although human resources directors believe many leavers are prompted by the sector's comparatively low wages, they overestimate the number that are driven away by this. In reality, staff are more likely to leave because of stress or a lack of career opportunities.
One in seven of the 1828 housing employees interviewed said the lack of opportunities for progression makes them consider leaving their job. Stress is the top cause of dissatisfaction for the 100 new entrants surveyed, with one in five saying it is the factor they dislike most in their job.
Nonetheless, three quarters of newcomers would encourage a friend to take a job at their own association and 64% of the 50 leavers surveyed would recommend any housing association to a friend.
The newcomers cited its public service ethos, interesting work and career development opportunities as reasons for joining. At the point of joining, staff are keen to stay in the sector – seven out of 10 wish to stay with their employer for at least two or three years, with two out of five hoping for a promotion. Still more encouraging is the fact that more than three in five current staff would like to stay with their employer for the next two or three years.
The best way to make them stay, human resources directors believe, is a good pay and benefits package, with effective management and organisation coming a close second.
Their staff agree. Workers say pay is important, with seven out of 10 citing it as one of the six most important factors in job satisfaction. They say the offer of better pay would be the main thing that could lure them away from their job or the main thing that would make them want to stay.
And although housing managers are less positive about nearly all aspects of job satisfaction than other groups of staff, they are more positive about pay. This is hardly surprising, given that they topped this year's salary survey with average inflation-busting pay rises of almost 16% (HT 5 March, page 7).
Pete Jeffery, director of human resources at Anglia, says: "Housing managers can feel trapped. People in jobs such as finance and IT can move about from sector to sector but if you're a housing manager you're going to be staying in housing. It's a difficult job and people can get frustrated."
But workers are not only in it for the cash. Two-thirds of respondents put interesting work near the top of the list, as well as the opportunity to accomplish something worthwhile and use their skills and abilities. Two out of five staff value reasonable working hours highly, and half cite job security as one of the six most important factors in their jobs.
What HR departments can do
The report also includes recommendations for human resources directors:
- human resources departments should collect more detailed information on those groups – such as housing managers – that are at risk of leaving; then use this to come up with targeted incentives to make them stay
- regular staff surveys should be used to pinpoint areas of dissatisfaction and greater effort should be put into improving conditions in these areas
- housing associations need to offer more opportunities for career development and flexible working
- communication between departments and from workers to bosses should be improved
- middle managers should be given additional support and offered training in how to promote the personal and career development of their teams.
Helen Green, the consultant who project managed the research, adds: "Generally, people seem to have a positive image of the sector and want to stay in it.
But housing associations should look more at what they can do collectively to improve staff retention."
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Housing Today
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