Throughout October, Spinnaker has been exploring one central question: what makes people stay?
Alongside our blogs and Why They Stayed series, we ran several LinkedIn polls to understand what professionals value and when employers have the greatest opportunity to build loyalty.
While LinkedIn polls provide a snapshot rather than formal research, the results revealed some clear themes.
We asked:
At what point does an employer have the greatest chance to build loyalty?
The leading answer was when times are difficult. Employees are likely to remember how their employer responds when they need flexibility, understanding or practical support.
A further 30% selected the point at which someone wants to progress. Together, these answers suggest that loyalty is often built during defining moments in an employee’s career.
Recruitment received just 4%. While the interview process sets expectations, loyalty appears to be strengthened by whether the employer continues to deliver once someone joins.
Our next poll asked which conversations managers should have more frequently:
Employees want conversations about both their current experience and their future.
Regular discussions about workload can identify pressure before it becomes disengagement, while open conversations about pay and progression can provide clarity and manage expectations.
Career goals are also important because progression means different things to different people. It may involve promotion, but it could also mean new responsibilities, qualifications or exposure to another part of the business.
We also asked what has the biggest influence on whether someone stays in a role:
Progression received the largest share of the vote, closely followed by work-life balance. Combined, these options accounted for 64% of responses.
The results suggest that people want opportunities to develop without sacrificing their lives outside work. Pay, benefits, managers and colleagues also remain important parts of the wider employee experience.
Our final poll focused specifically on retaining people within the maritime industry:
What would make the biggest difference to keeping people in maritime?
Better pay and benefits received half of the vote, making it the clear leading answer.
More opportunities to grow followed at 37%. Together, pay and career development accounted for the overwhelming majority of responses, suggesting that people need to feel both fairly rewarded and able to see a future within the industry.
Managerial support and flexibility each received 7%. Although these options attracted fewer votes in this particular poll, the earlier results show that workload, wellbeing and work-life balance still influence the overall employee experience.
Progression appeared throughout the results: as a major reason people stay, a key opportunity to build loyalty and an important topic for managers to discuss.
The final poll also highlights that employers cannot overlook pay and benefits when considering how maritime competes for talent.
Employers should consider whether they are:
There is no single solution to employee retention. Listening to employees regularly, rather than waiting until they decide to leave, gives employers a much better opportunity to understand what matters and act on it.
Our October theme began by asking what makes people stay. The results suggest that people want to feel fairly rewarded, able to grow and confident that their employer will listen and support them throughout their career.