Motivating staff is main concern for employers

Ensuring benefits offerings engage and motivate employees is now a bigger concern for employers than the need to attract and keep staff, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The CIPD Reward risk survey found that for the first time employee attraction and retention has fallen off the list of the top ten employer concerns. Now in 12th place, it was previously featured in first place in 2010 and 10th place last year.

The top concern in 2012 is that employees do not appreciate the value of the total reward offering. Second place is that reward is not engaging employees. For the first time since the list was started in 2010, increasing pension costs has made it into the top ten concerns.

Charles Cotton, rewards adviser at the CIPD, said: “It’s encouraging to see reward professionals thinking more strategically about rewarding the behaviours and performance that contribute to business success, but attracting and retaining key talent is always crucial, in the good times and the bad.

“Even in a stagnant labour market, key talent can find opportunities to move onward, so reward professionals shouldn’t be too complacent while they wait for the economy to eventually pick up.”