Expert Office Advice

We all have to work, whether it’s to pay the bills or to keep us active, but what makes us stay at our chosen place of work? Well obviously money is the first thing everybody thinks of but money can’t be the only thing making us happy at work, can it?

Let’s take a quick look at several common reasons people give for working at a particular job; money, great people, good remuneration, family business, doing good in the community, don’t know anything else and more…

Let’s look a little deeper into the ‘actual’ reasons people stay with a business. Not surprisingly, money is a big factor for most people, and surveys show that even if employees are unhappy an increased salary offer can make a big difference in their decision to stay. Aside from money though, it generally falls down to how the company is run, treating employees in a manner which makes them feel happy, or more importantly needed, feeling they make a difference.

Strangely enough there is a male and female divide, with the fairer sex more likely to stay in a single position which provides good health care and maternity leave, while young men are popping off all over the place in an attempt to become the next Donald Trump, showing that money IS a factor when expressed in terms of male / female employees. Of course young men also seek out the best packages a company can offer, company cars, health care, dental plans, pension schemes, further education and everything under the rainbow that you can think of.

Arcnet, a telecommunications company, furnishes each employee with a brand new BMW after they have been with the company for 12 months. The cars are leased for 3 years with full insurance paid up for the employee (assuming a clean license). The employee gets to choose the colour and model and the company picks up the tab.

“We needed something that appealed to people other than money. Money is forgotten in two weeks,” explains CFO Tony Vitullo. “We wanted something that was really going to grab them and remind them of what Arcnet has done for them every time they turn the key.”

This seems to be a current and rising trend with larger companies, especially those overseas. The reason is the recognition of employee loyalty, removing the need to continually train and recruit new staff, essentially saving thousands of pounds each and every year. It is this loyalty bonus that many younger workers are seeking, but what about companies that don’t offer these kind of incentives, how do they keep their employees?

Literally speaking when you go to work each day, you are entering into a private community which is very selective in who it allows into it. A members only club if you like, eventually relationships are made which in turn creates bonds between people you would not normally get to know. This type of bond is very common in businesses such as charity shops and organisations and is very strong between workers. It is this bond which makes people come into work every day, the need to circulate is strong in most of us and the bonds we create at work fill this.

So is it money? Friendship? Cars and bonuses? In fact, all of the figures at our disposal are inconclusive, showing that it is a mixture of all three, with money coming a close second to cars and bonuses, and friendship coming top. These figures however are taken from a section of the public which consists mainly of young men under the age of 25, so your age and gender will dictate what you want from a job, but generally we can conclude that money will always be important, but friendship in the workplace is never a bad thing and should be encouraged.