PETALING JAYA: Two in five or 44% of Malaysian workers have ranked “strong management” as the most important factor they look for in an ideal employer, according to The Employer Brand Research 2019 study.
Conducted by human resource solutions agency Randstad, the study found that Malaysia is the only market in Southeast Asia that ranks strong management within its top five critical employee value proposition when looking for an employer.
“Randstad found that 29% of respondents would consider leaving their employers because of poor leadership,” Randstad Singapore and Malaysia managing director Jaya Dass said.
“People want to work in an organisation which is being led by a strong and capable management team, especially one that is able to drive the company forward in the fourth industrial revolution, during a period of changing economic and political landscapes.”
She said what really matters to the workers in Malaysia are “attractive salary and benefits”. That is the most important factor (64%), followed by “healthy work-life balance” (49%).
Dass said the research highlighted a seven-point gap between respondents’ expectations of “healthy work-life balance‟ and what companies in Malaysia are perceived to offer.
She said companies looking to attract talent not only need to develop new initiatives to promote work-life harmony, but also effectively communicate the benefits of these initiatives to their workforce.
She said 30% of respondents cited “healthy work-life balance‟ as one of the top three reasons why they would apply for a job in a small-and-medium enterprise or start their own business.
Dass said the top three reasons cited by 44% of respondents for applying to a multinational corporation are centred around financial stability, such as the company’s financial health, attractive salary and benefits as well as job security.
