Focus on attraction and retention strategies to keep prized office support staff

Tuesday, 30 September, 2014: Retention strategies are a key priority for Australian businesses within their office support teams as more than half of surveyed employers believe there will be staff turnover in the next 12 months, according to the 2014/15 Page Personnel Australia Office Support Salary & Employment Forecast.

54% of employers believe there will be staff turnover within their office support function in the next 12 months. Concurrently, 51% of employers surveyed report that strong company culture is the most popular tool for attraction and retention, whilst 62% report they need to develop more targeted attraction strategies to prevent a possible skills shortage.

With businesses expecting to see a high level of turnover within their office support staff such as Executive and Personal Assistants, the most popular attraction and retention incentives in addition to company culture that employers are offering are work-life initiatives (15%) and structured career progression (14%). Training and mentoring partnerships (10%) and recognition and rewards (10%) also make the list.

“Office support staff are essential to the success of any business, and companies now more than ever need to focus on retention strategies,” says Sarah Riley, Director of Page Personnel in Australia. “Strategies that encourage employee loyalty can result in less staff turnover and greater employee satisfaction.”

Some employers are focusing on additional work-life balance initiatives, such as flexible working arrangements (78%) and team building activities (39%). Reward and recognition is also a positive staff attraction tool for employers.

“If you have a hardworking EA or PA that has really made a difference to your team’s success you can nominate them for the Page Personnel 2014 EA of the Year award to demonstrate how much you appreciate their efforts,” says Riley. “They will not only get to take home the prestigious title, they will also receive two business class flights plus five nights’ luxury accommodation in either Hawaii or Vietnam. There’s only one day left in the competition for employers to nominate their EA or PA - submissions close October 1st.”

The winner will also receive a personalised styling session with Cue Clothing, a $1500 Cue Clothing voucher and a 12 month subscription to InStyle magazine, both official sponsors of the Page Personnel 2014 EA of the Year Award. Five runners up will also receive a $500 voucher from Cue Clothing.

To nominate and enter on behalf of an outstanding EA or PA, visit the EA of the Year 2014 Competition page on Page Personnel’s EA Life blog. Applications close on Wednesday, 1 October 2014 and winner announced on Friday, 17 October 2014.

To view the full report, visit the Page Personnel News & Research centre.