OVER half of employees in the north are now benefitting from flexible working hours, according to a new survey.
The annual Northern Ireland Salary Survey Report from Abacus Talent Group has revealed that 52 per cent of staff are benefitting from
flexible working, an increase on the previous year.
The figure was highest amongst the legal sector, with almost two-thirds (61 per cent) of employees working flexibly. This includes working from home and flexible working around contracted hours.
The research further shows that almost half of respondents received a basic pay increase last year, while 55 per cent received a bonus.
Over three quarters (78 per cent) of those surveyed within the financial services sector said they received a monteary reward compared to just a third (34 per cent) in business support industries.
Stuart John, managing director at Abacus Careers believes firms that implement flexible working can better attract and retain talent.
“Not all companies are in a position to offer additional financial benefits or rewards to their staff, with this in mind, we are finding an increasing number of companies adopting a common-sense approach when it comes to flexible working," he said.
"Business that can offer flexible solutions to suit all parties will also be well-positioned when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. This also enables smaller businesses to compete with large firms when it comes to an attractive work-life balance and positive working environments, often without the huge financial outlays."
Damian Farrell, fellow managing director at Abacus Careers added:
"We are continually working with our clients to help them build attractive employee packages, ones that are going to stand-out from the crowd, particularly for the new generation in the workplace. This includes Top 100 companies and many large scale FDI organisations, to smaller local businesses in Northern Ireland across a range of sectors; all companies face the same challenges but they need a tailored approach to attract and retain people within their business.”
The Abacus survey encompassed 1,000 employees across 20 professional services disciplines and 60 specific job titles; including areas such as law, accountancy, IT, analytics, financial services, insurance, compliance, office support, sales, HR and marketing.
In addition to investing in research and international diaspora initiatives, Abacus is hosting Northern Ireland’s largest talent and engagement conference, 'Powered by Talent' on May 22 at the International Conference Centre in Belfast.
Photo 1
Abacus Talent Group Release NI Salary Survey Report 2019 - The report highlights an increase in employment perks within the NI Professional Sector to compete on global scale. Pictured launching the report, is, l-r, Stuart John and Damien Farrell, Managing Directors, Abacus Careers.
Photo 2
Abacus Talent Group Release NI Salary Survey Report 2019 – The report highlights an increase in employment perks within the NI Professional Sector to compete on global scale. Pictured launching the report, is, l-r, Stuart John and Damian Farrell, Managing Directors, Abacus Careers.
