While over half (54 percent) of administration and office staff in Australia are actively seeking or thinking about a new job, receptionists have proven to be the most unhappy – and the most likely to hand in their resignations – according to recruitment firm OfficeTeam, a division of Robert Half International.
OfficeTeam’s 2010 Salary Survey of 437 Australian office professionals, reveals that 64 percent of respondents who work in reception positions are actively seeking or thinking about a new job – a far higher proportion than an Office Manager or Personal Assistant.
“There is an assumption in the marketplace that front of house positions are easily filled, and employers don’t have to invest in these staff, but this is a costly mistake,” said Stephen Langhammer, Senior Manager of OfficeTeam.
“Reception staff are the face of an organisation and often hold a great deal of knowledge that can be difficult to transfer. Therefore, such high front-desk turnover can be a huge cost to the organisation.”
The survey also found that the core reasons for looking around were better career development (53 percent) and the desire for a pay increase (53 percent) – two elements of organisational reward and recognition programs which reception staff tend to miss out on.
“Employers who are not providing their administration staff with sufficient support will find that when the economy picks up, these employees will be the first to go, seriously impacting the everyday running of the company,” said Langhammer.
Many employers are starting to recognise this issue, with almost half (49 percent) concerned about the likelihood of staff leaving their organisation when the economy further improves.
“Employers should take care to provide reception and administrative staff with enough support. Investing in temporary staff during peak work periods is a great way to ensure that employees are less stressed and more productive,” said Langhammer.
These efforts pay off, as 73 percent of employees who feel well looked after are likely to remain with their employer because of the support and reward they received.
