South Island employees no longer hold all the aces in the job market as the result of a rapid easing in the business cycle, Polson Higgs partner Michael Turner says.
That easing was being reflected in the reduced demand for staff, according to the survey undertaken by Polson Higgs and McCulloch and Partners which showed a fall in those who said finding staff was a challenge for their business.
In the period since the previous survey in December, recruiting and retaining talent had become less of an issue.
"In December, it was all about `what can we offer to recruit and retain staff?' Now it is more about just having a job," Mr Turner said.
The sudden change of emphasis was reflected in the level of unemployment jumping from 5% to 6% in the June quarter, well above estimates and the largest quarterly increase in 21 years.
In December, the primary means of attracting and retaining staff were in the form of financial rewards, flexible working arrangements, career-enhancing opportunities and early opportunities for responsibility, he said.
By July, employee behaviour had changed from a "what's in it for me" to more of a "what can I do to ensure I retain my job?"
There was a greater willingness to innovate and explore business opportunities, a willingness to collaborate with colleagues, a definite motivation to perform and willingness to offer discretionary effort, Mr Turner said.
A Hudson survey, entitled "Talent Tightrope - Managing the Workplace through the Downturn" appeared to back up Mr Turner's comments.
Employees in the Hudson survey were anxious and scared of losing their jobs. Respondents who regarded themselves as extremely or quite anxious about the downturn totalled 35% to 42% depending on their generation.
Nearly a third were afraid of losing their jobs and felt less secure than the corresponding time last year, Hudson executive general manager Marc Burrage said.
More than half said they valued their jobs more than before the downturn.
"These feelings are heightened by nearly half [46%] having seen friends and relatives lose their jobs and one in three employers have made roles redundant. A further 25% are considering redundancies," he said.
Mr Turner said that for the first time in a decade, business owners and managers had been faced with, at worst, having to lay people off or possibly cutting their hours of work. That had raised a totally different range of questions.
Ten, even five years ago, concern about workforce culture was less significant.
Now, it was right on top of the list which was good news as a workplace with a good culture would be more efficient and happy than one without, Mr Turner said.
Mr Burrage said many employers perceived that employees had become more loyal as a result of the recession. However, only one in five employees reported greater loyalty.
The majority of employees were unchanged in their dedication, but one in six had become more disillusioned and less loyal.
Nearly half of all employees were seeking a new role and more than half said they would consider roles they would previously had not considered.
Baby-boomers, previously known for their loyalty, were the most active job-seekers, with 24% on the look-out for a new role, he said.
The threat of redundancies had affected morale, Mr Burrage said.
About 44% of employees believed morale had declined. Surprisingly, one in four employers thought morale had improved but only 8% of employees agreed with them.
The survey found some interesting answers to what was driving productivity.
Nearly 25% of employees reported being more motivated at work than before the downturn but that might have been spurred by fear, he said.
Nearly 50% of employees reported an increase in productivity but if it was caused by feeling a lack of job security, that was not sustainable in the long term.
One in five employees reported being less satisfied with their jobs due to feelings of lower job security, pressure to deliver the same results with reduced resources, having to work longer with less recognition and poor management.
Mr Burrage said recognising top performing employees was one of the best strategies for rewarding and retaining talent.
Generation Y (those born in the 1980s and early 1990s) responded the most positively to the downturn and had reported the biggest increases in value placed on their job, motivation, satisfaction and loyalty.
"Leading in these times is different from the good times."
Employers needed to equip managers so they could empower their teams and foster trust. Employers who did that would be rewarded with insights into levels of engagement in the team which they could use to improve performance and retention, he said.
"The downturn has made employees more aware of the importance of developing their skills, making training and development an important part of any organisation's retention strategy."
