Culture, culture, culture.
This is the mantra I’m hearing from more and more people leaders across the automotive sector when it comes to retaining skilled staff.
With a cost-of-living crisis coinciding with a highly competitive talent market, salary and benefits is obviously a key battleground for companies trying to hold on to valued employees – particularly those whose skills are in hottest demand.
But, from the conversations I’m having, it seems creating the right workplace culture can be even more effective as a retention strategy than simply competing on pay.
One of my clients, a medium-sized automotive supply chain business, is a shining example.
The company lost a number of employees to a large corporate, which was offering higher pay packages and the opportunity to work for a prestigious brand.
Just a few months later, the employees returned and asked to be reinstated in their old jobs because they missed working in a culture where they felt respected, supported and empowered to make a difference.
The importance of the employer value proposition in its entirety was a key finding of Ennis & Co’s influential research paper, Skills Evolution Roadmap 2025, with unanimous agreement among senior automotive leaders that creating an open and values-driven workplace culture was fundamental to any talent strategy.
Key elements of that positive culture included rich employee engagement, clearly defined career development pathways, a diverse and inclusive working environment and, where possible, flexible working patterns.
Business leaders told us that younger hires were particularly swayed by the culture of the organisation, with a strong desire to work in an innovative and exciting environment with a strong sense of purpose.
But, as we have seen from our work as executive search specialists, workplace culture is just as important for older and more senior candidates, who are increasingly focused on the working environment when deciding whether to accept an offer.
People want quality of life as well as quality of work. The challenge for people leaders is to create workplace cultures that deliver both.
