Training Means Retaining for Life Sciences Employers

The survey of employee benefits, which collected the opinions of workers across pharmaceutical, medical devices, biotechnology and clinical research organizations in the United States, found that 88% of respondents who are given the opportunity to undergo comprehensive training courses to boost their career opportunities are planning to stay with their current employer beyond the next 12 months. Although employee loyalty is fairly high (68%) across the industry, the survey showed that it could be affected by the benefits package on offer. Investment into the development of workers' skills increased employee loyalty the most, while performance bonuses (74%) and wellness programs (72%) also demonstrated an increased likelihood that employees would stay.

The most valued benefit among the industry's employees, according to the survey, is medical care (50% of respondents agree), with flexible working hours (14%) coming in second and performance bonuses (8%) in third place. Both medical care and flexible working also play a major part in attracting fresh talent, with workers willing to leave their current jobs if their new package included these benefits.

ProClinical Global Recruitment Director, Richard Thomas, believes that only a well-rounded benefits package can both attract and retain employees: "Employers that create benefits packages aimed at both attracting new talent and fostering employee engagement put themselves at a strong advantage when seeking to hire and retain the most talented individuals within the life sciences industry. Leading candidates can afford to be selective, so carefully developed and attractive employee benefits packages can make a genuine difference in securing and retaining talented professionals. The survey data support our observations that employees value an employer who cares about their health and career development, as well as their life outside the office, helping to keep a strong balance in their daily lives."

Previous research by ProClinical has identified work/skill alignment and career development opportunities as being the most important factors in keeping employee engagement high. The findings from the latest employee benefits survey suggest that by offering training to their employees, life sciences companies can tackle both of these factors and, therefore, improve engagement and build a loyal and happy workforce.

ProClinical's US Employee Benefits Report is available to downloaded at http://staffscience.proclinical.com/insights/employee-benefits-report-2016-united-states

ProClinical's Global Employee Engagement Report can be found at http://staffscience.proclinical.com/insights/employee-engagement-report-2016

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160926/411610

SOURCE ProClinical