Want loyalty? Get a dog or a small business
Tuesday, 4th May 2010
Three-quarters of British workers would have considered taking a pay cut or cutting down on their hours if their company was in financial difficulty during the recession, according to HireScores.com.
Its research looked at how far people would have gone during the recession to keep hold of their jobs and save their company.
Three-quarters of those who would make a compromise worked at a small business, compared to the 24% who worked in a larger company.
Some 63% of those who would make a compromise said that they would be willing to take a pay cut, with 82% of SME staff saying that they would do so to save the company they work for.
Meanwhile, 44% of those who worked at a larger company said that they would take a pay cut, but only if their boss were to take one too.
The top things employees would have done to save their jobs and company during the recession are:
1 Take a pay cut - 63%;
2 Work overtime for no extra money - 61%;
3 Work less hours - 52%;
4 Go without annual bonus- 46%;
5 Print less - 39%;
6 Unpaid leave - 37%;
7 Give up their company car - 35%;
8 Give up their work phone- 33%.
Two-thirds of those who wouldn't make a sacrifice for their company worked at a larger organisation, compared with only 34% of those who worked at an SME.
One senior spokesperson from HireScores.com said: "It is interesting to note how much more willing people were to make changes when they worked in a smaller company, as opposed to a bigger one.
"Considering one of the main reasons for people in a bigger company to not make a sacrifice is that they don't like their boss suggests that those in smaller companies have a stronger relationship with their company and manager and that they believe their efforts are more likely to have an impact on the business.
"There is some important learning here for both small and large companies; the more engaged your people feel, the more likely they are to do everything they can to help the company succeed."
