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Press release

Research reveals employees happier with development

Survey suggests significantly improved training and development opportunities since 2007

London, 3 August 2011 - New research suggests companies may be investing more in training and development for employees with workers reporting increased satisfaction with training and development offered and opportunities to further their career. The findings are from a survey of 400,000 private sector employees by leading HR consultancy ETS.

When comparing current 2011 figures with figures dating back to 2007, before the recession, a clear year-on-year improvement is apparent across a number of measures related to training, development and promotion:

  • 77% of employees are satisfied with training and development opportunities (67% in 2007)
  • 73% of employees are satisfied with opportunities for career development (64% in 2007)
  • 65% of employees are happy with their prospects for promotion (46% in 2007)

Hannah Stratford, Head of Business Psychology at ETS, comments:

It is more important than ever to engage and invest in employees, and it’s encouraging that companies seem to be doing just that. With the widely-reported skills shortages likely to deepen, a focussed approach is needed for training and development in order to attract and retain the best workers. This means engaging employees in open dialogue, discussing their development plans and helping them map a career path.

Research has shown investment in training and development to be one of the key drivers of employee engagement. And this is crucial for engaging high-achievers. Hannah Stratford explains:

By nature, high-achievers are ambitious and eager to develop and challenge themselves so companies must provide them with a dynamic working environment.

The research did highlight one area where the trend is less positive: employees are less satisfied with the fairness of the promotion system where they work. Forty-one percent of workers feel that the appraisal system at their company is unfair (this has risen from 37% in 2007).