Career growth pips money in employee satisfaction

New Delhi: In a new Monster India Poll on "What benefits would retain you for long in an organisation?" career advancement opportunities have emerged as a key factor for employee satisfaction.

Over 37% of professionals said it was the main reason to stay put in a company, placing it ahead of more predictable influencers such as flexible work arrangements (12%) and even salary (11%).

Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India, Middle East, South East Asia and Hong Kong) said: “Career advancement is becoming a core part of employee work commitment and job satisfaction.”

Money is no longer the biggest motivator for employees was also revealed in an earlier poll where 83% of those surveyed said they work for passion. Only 17% said money was important.

Employees choose new skills over money: A clear growth trajectory mapped by a career development plan is one way for employees to hit those high notes on the job. People don’t want to walk into the office and do the same thing, day after day.

They want to learn fresh skills and be given new responsibilities that will help them grow into a different role – one that aligns with their personal goals. An organisation that hopes to retain them needs to dovetail into employees’ short-term and long-term development plans and provide the counselling, training and mentorship they require to achieve any milestones.

Learning and development on the job is highly valued: Employees want to feel passionate about their roles is evident from the fact that they give learning and development precedence over money. Almost 18% of those who participated in the poll cited on-the-job training as a prime reason to continue in an organisation.

Job security wins employee loyalty: The popular belief is that Indian employees look for job security while choosing an organisation. But even that emerges second to career growth opportunities in the poll. Just 22% of those questioned cited job security as a reason for remaining in a job.

Flexi time beats money on employee wish list: While a work-life balance remains important, the poll reveals that flexi time isn’t a deal-breaker for employees today. The 1% difference may seem slight, but it is still a more important reason than salary to continue in a job. Employees recognize that to be happy, healthy and productive, they need to build downtime into their schedule, organise work tasks in order of priority and optimize their schedule for when they are most productive.

The poll revealed career advancement opportunities are a major priority for employees when it comes to making a decision about whether to stay in a job or not. Money is important, but a career where you ‘Love what you do’ won’t always come around. Those who find it, sit tight.