Salary Unsurprisingly Most Important to St. Petersburg Residents

By Alastair Gill

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: April 3, 2013 (Issue # 1753)

The question of salary is, as ever, the principal factor on which those looking for work in St. Petersburg base their choice company, according to an article published by HeadHunter, a recruitment agency. The overwhelming majority of those surveyed by the agency, 97 percent, said it was the salary on offer that most influenced their decision to work for one company over another.

The second most important concern is the location of the office. Of those polled, 66 percent said that it is of vital importance that the journey from home to work be as short and convenient as possible. However, all else being equal — that is, if the salary and location of the office satisfy the jobseeker’s demands — then other criteria come into play. These are factors that can be directly influenced by HR managers and company management.

Just over half of locals in search of work take a critical approach to a firm — how well known is its brand or products; what kind of corporate culture does the organization have; and how long is the application process?

The last of these is especially important: Jobseekers are much more discerning in their choice of work now than they were immediately after the crisis, and the efficiency of personnel departments — including communication and processing applications on time — is becoming of primary importance.

Forty-three percent of those polled use job interviews as an opportunity to cast an eye over the company’s team and assess the people who work there, while for a third of the city’s jobseekers, the design of the office is important.

A company’s reputation also plays a role in where potential employees choose to work, according to Olga Shmatko of HeadHunter. “With increasing competition for professional staff, it is simply not possible to ignore such an important component of HR management as the reputation of the employer, or its HR brand,” she said.

The agency’s statistics show that people are becoming more aware of this.

“The brand broadcasts an employer’s values and principles and is a sort of mutual test for the consistency of the company and its consumers in the labor market, both external [potential applicants], and domestic [current employees],” said Shmatko.

Almost one in five people are attracted by companies that have won the “HR Brand of the Year” award or that check out on social networks and various “blacklists” of employers, highlighting the importance of having a well-regarded brand.

“Due to increased competition for talent for all levels of an organization’s management, building a strong employer brand becomes a defining characteristic of the expertise of a company’s managerial staff,” said Pavel Yefremenko, head for the selection, development and training of staff for the OKEY supermarket chain’s HR department.

For current employees, the key factor in loyalty to their employer is, once again, the salary — testified to by 91 percent of respondents. If the salary is to their satisfaction, people are ready to dedicate more time and effort to the good of the company. Meanwhile, for 67 percent it is important that the salary is paid entirely legally and that the bonus system is clear.

The second-most important factor for current employees is the comfort of the workplace, the equipment, and recreation areas. Curiously, a flexible work schedule and the opportunity to regulate one’s workload is considered more important than an extended benefits package including medical insurance, cell phone payment, meals, transport etc.

In last place on the loyalty scale were the assorted ‘perks’ with which companies pamper their employees — free tea, coffee and snacks, board games, PlayStation, sports equipment and so on.