What STEM professionals expect from their employers
Skilled workers in the fields of mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology, or STEM for short, are in high demand in Switzerland. What do they expect from their employers? A study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Bern University of Applied Sciences shows: STEM professionals want to develop their skills through challenging technical and project tasks, desire a participative management culture and flexible working models. However, their expectations are often only inadequately met.
According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, the demand for STEM specialists in Switzerland has increased tenfold over the past six decades. The reason for this is the far-reaching structural change toward a more technology-savvy knowledge society. At the same time, demand is outstripping supply: there is a pronounced shortage of STEM specialists, which is now worsening in the wake of generational and demographic change. "As a result, companies are faced with the question of how to effectively address, attract and retain highly sought-after, confident professionals," says human resources management researcher Peter Kels of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. In a comprehensive research project, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Bern University of Applied Sciences examined the expectations of Swiss STEM professionals of generations Y (born 1982-1999) and X (born 1965-1981) with regard to employers.
Many STEM professionals are currently dissatisfied with their employer
The study shows that the current work situation is not satisfactory for many STEM professionals of generations Y and X: 36 percent of the respondents intend to leave their employers within the next 12 months. This means that STEM professionals are considerably more likely to quit their jobs than workers in other occupations. "This should be a wake-up call for management and motivate them to pay even more attention to the job satisfaction of STEM professionals," Kels says. The largest difference exists across both
generations in terms of the co-determination expected and granted in the workplace, as well as in terms of development prospects in the company.
What STEM professionals want
In detail, the demands of STEM professionals of generations Y and X on employers are as follows: When looking for a job, they are essentially guided by five employer- and job-related factors. By far the most important factor for an application is job content (cited by over 80 percent of respondents). Preference is given to varied, technically complex and innovative specialist and project tasks. Other key attractiveness factors are information on development opportunities, team
and flexible working time models. Only in fifth place is the overall salary mentioned. The factors of job security, industry and culture are mentioned much less frequently, by only around one-third of respondents. The company's reputation (employer of choice or market leader) is relevant for only a tiny minority (see graphic).
What expectations employers must meet
However, sustainable personnel recruitment and retention in the STEM sector requires more than positive employer and job-related factors. The key lies in systematically shaping the working relationship, often based on unspoken expectations, also known as the psychological contract. STEM professionals of both generations show high job satisfaction and retention when four expectations are met:
- The opportunity to work on varied, technically complex and innovative specialist and project tasks and to develop independent solutions,
- Prospects of attractive career development prospects and a variety of options, in particular the development of competencies through challenging tasks and projects/in the context of alternative careers (specialist, project or horizontal careers),
- corporate management and cooperation culture that focuses on collegiality, eye level, participation, feedback and humanity,
- Option of flexible working time models tailored to the individual (variable start and end of working day, compensation for overtime or part-time or home office).
Younger STEM workforce expects true "team spirit"
"A comparison of the two generations shows that STEM professionals from Generation Y have higher expectations of cooperation at the team level as well as of the leadership relationship," summarizes teamwork expert Andrea Gurtner from the Bern University of Applied Sciences. If STEM employees from Generation X are largely satisfied with a cooperative working atmosphere, Generation Y professionals expect real "team spirit" (a sense of togetherness, common goals, learning from each other). From superiors, younger STEM professionals expect to be encouraged in their professional and personal development through challenging tasks and regular feedback as part of an individual leadership relationship.
Source and further information on the study: www.hslu.ch/projekt-mint-fachkraefte
