An interesting report from our Marketing team on Employer branding and contractor loyalty within the Oil & Gas industry.

1. EMPLOYER
BRANDS
IN THE
ENERGY
SECTOR
NES Global Talent’s
brand tracking survey
into employer brands
nesglobaltalent.com

2. “Listen first,
speak second.
Seek OUT those
with experience
and learn from
them.”
Engineering contractor, 20 years in the field.
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3. INTRODUCTION 1.0 Which companies appeal
as employers of choice?
Top 5 versus other
The top five major international oil companies account
Challenges Facing the Oil and Gas Industry for 40% of all choice ranking. Of the other 23 operators
who were included none received more than 3% of the
For more than 30 years, NES Global Talent has been helping the Oil & Gas Industry recruit mentions, showing the dominance of the appeal of the Top
5.
and retain personnel. It continues to be our primary goal. As part of our services we are
acutely aware of the challenges our clients face in the Energy Sector.
First, the world’s energy needs are spiralling. They are increasing by a factor of three in
the lifetime of our children. Second, the world’s population is escalating at a frightening rate.
In 1960 it was 3 billion and in 2011 7 billion. It will be 9 billion in 2050. Third, within the next
ten years, more than half the workforce in Oil & Gas will be eligible for retirement. Fourth,
the skill shortage continues with less science, technology, engineering and mathematics
graduates entering the engineering industry.
Our task at NES Global Talent is to fully appreciate these problems confronting our clients
and assist them in searching for outstanding talent.
In 2011, our brand and marketing team conducted a brand tracking survey to highlight some
BP
of the current branding problems facing the industry and point to possible solutions. We Chevron
contacted 800 people from our database. The majority of respondents have more than 20
years experience. 65% are engineers, 14% subsea specialists, 11% managers. 82% with
degrees and 90% hold at least one professional qualification. Most of our respondents were
from the United Kingdom and South East Asia. A significant number are from North America.
(*see call out box on research sample) ExxonMobil
Total
Employer Branding and the Workforce
Our survey looked at employer branding I.e. the package of benefits, which make companies Shell
distinctive in the minds of current and potential employees. We found that contractors are
attracted to the companies they are most familiar with. The major oil companies had the
greatest appeal. We also found two critical factors in staff retention. Employees are more
easily retained if the culture of an organisation is good and if they are handled well by their
managers. They also place great store on clear and effective communication. Culture
AND WHY DO THEY APPEAL?
and style of communication, in some instances, come before reward and remuneration as
influencing whether they stay. Our survey also revealed how an employer’s brand reputation
is affected by their professional approach to safety standards.
Operator takes good care of its employees
13%
NES Global Talent surveyed 800 people from its contractor database
Good teamwork colleagues
11%
• The majority have 20 years+ experience
– 65% were engineers
– 14% were subsea engineers
Employees were empowered
8%
– 11% were managers
– 7% were consultants
Strong Management Team
8%
• 82% have a university degree Operators attitude/commitment to employees 4%
• 90% have at least one professional qualification
Rate of pay 4%
• he majority of the sample was from UK and South East Asia,
T
Employer flexibility 1%
but there were significant number from North America too.
Other – 49%
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4. Factors influencing
the choice of an
EMPLOYER
The factors which influenced their choice included the company’s attitude and
commitment to employees – how they were taken care of. They rated the company in
The company’s ways of working
terms of how they were treated, whether there was a strong culture of teamwork and
what the overall work environment was like – above pay.
“Lots of empowerment.”
“Management were empowering –
The company’s attitude towards its people they make decisions quickly.”
“They were innovative and enterprising.”
“There was a strong commitment to people.”
“Not too much ‘us versus them’ mentality.”
Breadth of learning opportunities – interest of role
“They were friendly, relaxed and
technically excellent.”
“Simple combination of team work and
project appeal.”
“There was good training and development.”
Professional standards
“High standards of engineering practice
and integration of engineering,
construction and commissioning teams.”
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5. 2.0 Employee perceptions of other Drivers of Employer of Choice 5.0 What keeps you or makes Money
Good team
operators Benefits
you leave an assignment? Interesting work
Job itself Life balance/Work
When respondents were asked to consider the appeal of Once on assignment the pay and salary do feature strongly
Career opportunity
operators that they had not worked for in the past, they as reasons to stay. Yet team spirit and interest of role is still Career progression
How they treat you
reported slightly different attractions. high up. Job security
Project
Job satisfaction
Past experience
Location
Good working environment
working environment
Salary
Company reputation 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
The key reason to leave an assignment is more about Poor management
management issues than money – things like not being
While hard tangible benefits – including salary – were The key dimensions of a good working environment were listened to, unreasonable expectations and poor leadership. Salary dissatisfaction
important, they were much less important that a company’s noted as: These factors cause individuals to move on.
Job satisfaction
reputation, with over 40% of respondents ranking reputation
as a key driver of attraction. Safety standards “It’s a highly hazardous industry, so a Pay is also cited as a factor for leaving an assignment
company with a good track record of safe working.” but only driven by changes in terms and conditions or a Work environment
This underlines the appeal of security and familiarity significant underpayment in the market.
Contract change
associated with big name brands. It shows how important it Good working conditions “I’d heard good things about
is to build an employer brand for talent strategies to ensure their work culture.” Family
the company name is promoted.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Management style “Empowerment and forward-thinking.”
Additionally, 14% perceived a good working environment as
one of the key drivers for choosing an operator.
6.0 What soft skills are important Teamwork
in the job you do? Can do
Appeal/Lifestyle Communication
3.0 Drivers of locational appeal When asked which soft skills mattered most to them in the Honest/integrity
Family
job they did – respondents listed teamwork, having a ‘can Influencing skills
The appeal of a location was perceived lifestyle – including
Physical safety do’ attitude, honesty and good communication skills as the Listening skills
the weather. Family, the safety of the work and the region
most important. Flexible / Adaptable
were all major considerations.
Convenience Safety
Thechnical know how
Money
Attention to detail
Comments from the research included:
Quality of work 0 5 10 15 20 25
Teamwork: Attitude:
0 10 20 30 40 50
“Empathy with others.” “Can-do attitude.”
“Ability to find the middle ground.” “Proactive, dynamic.”
4.0 What attracts you to an “Mutual respect.” “Problem solving and ambitious.”
assignment? “Credit to where good ideas come from.” Adaptability - to local issues “patience” came up a lot.
Company reputation again features as a main reason Reputation Communication: Integrity “genuine’ ‘honest, hard-working’ ‘fair, dedicated
in choosing an assignment. Approach to employees Listening and influencing skills were highlighted as a key to work’
soft skill to have.
The second biggest influence on the appeal of an Rate Continuing Professional Development
assignment was culture – namely, a company’s “What I look for in new talent is the ability to be able to “Do not give up trying and always question something you
Project size / Role
approach to employees. work well with others and it’s so important to have good think is wrong, don’t give up, be ready to work in hard
Breadth of opportunities communication skills.” conditions with a lot of stress”
An interesting role or project, earning potential and “From my perspective, the most important lesson we need “Listen to everything and everybody but formulate you own
Flat management/no
the breadth of opportunities were also likely to increase to learn is there needs to better communication.” solution taking the best parts from everywhere.”
the appeal of an assignment. Previous experience
“Every project I have been on we talk about it, but it is very “Listen first, speak second. Seek out those with experience
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
difficult to achieve. The reality is we work in isolation so and learn from them.”
finding a way to communicate decisions, questions and
concerns is a real challenge.”
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6. CLOSING THOUGHTS
Our survey has been conducted with experienced and Energy companies must build strong brands to support the
senior personnel in the energy sector. It reveals that the need for a unified approach for talent. They must do this on
big brand names of major oil companies are attractive research insights that help them to understand the desires
to employees. They are familiar with them and like their of different cultures, ages and groups. They must deliver on
reputation. They like good management, good teamwork, their brand promise, no matter what country they operate in.
and good communication. Reward and remuneration are
important to employees but not as much as one would With more cooperation and the sharing of talent data and
expect. thinking about the skills needed in the future, planning
for future talent needs must be global and encompass all
They are very conscious of a company’s commitment and segments of talent.
attitude to contractors They like to be handled and treated
well. They like interesting assignments and, in an industry Integrated people strategies that go beyond recruitment can
with hazards employees stress the importance of a sound increasingly consider more marketing tactics and strategies.
track record with regard to safety. Human Resource Directors can use:
At NES Global Talent we know the problem of finding and • Digital and mobile communication tools to reach all
retaining talent is serious at the present time, but it will get projects and convey important messages
worse.
• Intelligence tracking tools to measure data that drives
The alarming fact is that the energy sector has an ageing retention
workforce with 50% of its engineers being eligible for • Communication tools to ensure that information is
retirement within the next ten years. How will the industry passed from workers approaching retirement to new
ensure that knowledge is passed from workers approaching entrants
retirement to new entrants, from engineers of one
nationality to another and from one project to another? This Employer Branding needs to be far more than recruitment
is a real dilemma. The industry will also have the challenge advertising. Communication campaigns must focus on
of retaining its best staff. We see a workforce that is not just specific jobs, but on the company’s overall brand
increasingly global and diverse, increasingly mobile, one reputation.
that is ready to go whenever and wherever. The industry will
have the challenge of logistics, mobilisation, work permits, Given these challenges is now the time to consider:
security etc’. Should talent be at the heart of the company’s brand
strategy?
Everyone in the energy industry will need to play their part
in meeting these unparalleled challenges. The brand
included.
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7. There has never
been a time when
talent matters
so much to a
sector.
Your business is driven by your people. HR teams must attract and retain great
talent. Act now to strengthen your employer brand and contact us if you need
help to do so. We can survey how your brand is perceived internally with your
people and externally with potential talent segments. We can take this and
shape a recommendation to strengthen your brand appeal for employees.
Caitlin.Thomas@nesglobaltalent.com.
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