Care about health and education is the main thing Russian citizens are expecting from employers beside wages, the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets writes.
Gazeta.ru online newspaper asked respondents this question: what would you expect from your employer and what is he ready to offer you? For 81% of those polled, corporate medical insurance was the most important thing, while 69% would like to keep in good shape at the firm's expense, for example by visiting fitness clubs located near their office. But more than 60% of employers can offer their personnel nothing of the kind. The situation with education is approximately the same: 72% of respondents wish to improve their skills and study at a corporate university, but the companies employing 67% of those polled cannot offer them such opportunities.
Experts say the situation might be rectified because major changes are taking place on the labor market. For example, HeadHunter recruitment agency reports that 30% of employers have programs to improve the involvement of personnel, including medical and education programs. Another 40% of employers are thinking of launching such programs.
The largest companies, such as Sberbank which employs 245,000 personnel, can offer many corporate incentives. According to human resources department director Yekaterina Rodionova, Sberbank conducts large-scale studies of personnel's involvement each year in order to understand what employees wish and what they are dissatisfied with. Last year, 108,000 Sberbank staff checked their health within a corporate project. The company is also running a separate medical program to help staff give up smoking.
As for improving personnel’s skills, Russian companies mostly resort to the assistance of business coaches. The numbers of those who engage in educating personnel on permanent basis at corporate universities is increasing. Many large companies, such as Gazprom and Sibur, have corporate colleges of their own.
Online teaching is regarded as the most promising form of corporate education. Its effectiveness has been repeatedly proven in practice. For example, Yandex provides its employees with specialized education through online teaching. Learning is quite convenient: you can choose the time and place of studies on your own. All you need is a computer or tablet PC with access to the Internet.
Individual career planning is another asset which increases interest in a job, according to all opinion polls without exception. It is advantageous to the employer to build up a reserve of personnel. The experience shows that those who managed to notice young talents in time and develop them, are more successful on the market, Moskovsky Komsomolets notes.