More than 50% of Malaysian employees believe in job loyalty and are willing to stay for more than five years with their employers if there is opportunity for career progression, according to a finding by Hays Specialist Recruitment (Malaysia) Ltd.
Hays Malaysian regional director Tom Osborne said the onus of keeping good employees in the company was on the bosses to look after their staff and meet their needs.
“Given this, it’s up to employers to ensure they create the environment in which employees can remain. After all, people want to stay with their employer long term, but they also want their careers to continue to develop and thrive.
“This means employers need to provide all staff with ongoing training and development, regular reviews, and promotional opportunities.
“They also need to deliver what they promised in the recruitment process so that the reality of working at their organisation matches what they promoted when they were attracting top talent.”
The poll, which was conducted between August and October this year, found that 54% of Malaysians believed in job loyalty and were willing to stay for more than five years with an employer, 32% were willing to stay up to five years and the final 14% preferred to job-hop after a year or two.
The findings reported that the number one reason employees look for greener pastures was when their career advancement had plateaued in their organisation.
“As long as staff are offered stimulating work and their career continues to advance, most will stay.
“A lack of career progression is the number one reason people come to us looking for their next job, so we cannot emphasise enough the importance of putting career development plans in place.”
Apart from the obvious benefits for employers who could retain faithful staff, Osborne also said that loyal employees gained benefits for their faithfulness via internal promotions, additional benefits and valued opinions.
However, employees must also know when to move and not make the mistake of staying on.
“If your current employer is not offering you opportunities to develop and advance your career, and you feel stale and bored in your existing role, it might be time to explore your options in the job market.
“Loyalty is a noble quality, but it should not be at the expense of your own career advancement. Employers need to make sure the two go hand in hand.”
news source & image credits: themalaysianinsider.com
