Kuala Lumpur, 28 November 2018: According to the latest Shared Services Malaysia: Employee Satisfaction Report, 85% of existing employees agree that they would leave their current roles for the right opportunity. The majority of respondents (45%) also cited management and leadership as their largest dissatisfaction working in shared services.Released by specialist recruitment firm – Michael Page Malaysia, this study cites the responses from 1,038 professionals in Malaysia. The feedback from the Shared Services community also indicate a need for upskilling professionals. Respondents believe that they are only using up to 60% of their full potential in Shared Services and would like to change the scope of their role.According to the SSON Malaysian Market Report 2018, the country currently has 229 captive or hybrid Shared Services Centres (SSCs) which is a 15% marked increase in the past two years.Optimistic about the opportunity to nurture a new breed of Malaysian workforce, Crystal Ng, Associate Director, Michael Page Malaysia says, “This is a dynamic group of individuals which require well-rounded skillsets. On top of technical knowledge, they also need strong communication and stakeholder management skills as most roles within SSCs are regional, if not global.”“A majority of SSC functions in Malaysia are in the finance and technology spaces. Therefore we have seen a growing demand for talent skilled in financial planning & analysis, management reporting, budgeting and forecasting. Technology professionals have seen opportunities in machine learning, robotic process automation, business intelligence, cybersecurity, Big Data and cloud computing. This is a shift up the value chain from the past where SSC roles used to be generally transactional to the current business partnering roles,” observes Crystal Ng. Through the survey, we observed a high correlation between the lack of appreciation and the desire to leave a company. 96% of respondents who felt rarely appreciated by their colleagues and management also exhibited low levels of loyalty to their organisation and stated they were open to other opportunities.Addressing the employee sentiments, Crystal Ng explains, “As most business support functions are based in the SSC, employee retention is vital to ensure business continuity with no costly disruptions. It is also common for SSCs to keep someone in the same function instead of rotating them among other business units. An organisation may give fair compensation with good benefits, however ambitious employees with a progressive mindset will also seek personal development and succession planning elsewhere. This is why 67% of our poll stated their consideration to leave in the last six months, with the key reason being the lack of career development growth.”Despite the low levels of recognition and management challenges, 69% of professionals stated they were the most satisfied with their work-life balance, followed by the 65% who voiced their contentment over salary. Malaysia’s Shared Services employees also ranked the areas of their work they would most like to change as salary (28%), scope of their role (22%) followed by rewards and recognition (14%).In their ideal SSC, professionals ranked their top needs as wanting more inspiration (13%), trust (11%) and stability (11%). “To create a better work environment, employers should focus on the Employee Value Proposition and the human element of managing their employees. Remember that candidates are not just attracted to employers who provide competitive salaries, good employment packages and strong technology platforms. They consider the less tangible qualities such as employer branding, company values as well as work environment and culture. Managing SSC employees is also about being able to identify strengths and weaknesses and giving them an opportunity to learn and grow in a different role after a certain duration in the business. This keeps employees engaged and excited for a new challenge therefore pushing up productivity. This does not have to be a promotion, professionals can also make a horizontal move to another function,” advises Crystal Ng.Editor’s Notes: Malaysia’s growth and status as a shared services and outsourcing hub has created new jobs in the sector, as well as resulted in SSC firms dealing with challenges in employee retention. In view of this trend, the Michael Page Malaysia SSC Employee Satisfaction Report was published to identify key sentiments of the SSC workforce. The report surveyed 1038 employees across Malaysia. Please download the Michael Page Malaysia SSC Employee Satisfaction Report here.****END****
