A recent survey of HR Directors and business leaders conducted by HR specialists The Curve Group today revealed that three quarters of companies polled were finding it difficult to recruit top talent, despite the growing unemployment figures. In addition 62% of those surveyed had also seen an increase of absenteeism due to stress over the last two years.

In response to questioning about how best to spend money on engaging with employees, over half of said that their strategy would be to invest in leadership development to create clear direction for their organisations. Surprisingly only in 1 in 10 companies would increase salaries or pay larger bonuses, while just 1 in 20 companies would hire additional personnel to relieve pressure on the workforce.

Lyndsey Simpson, Co-owner of The Curve Group, said, “These figures indicate some of the challenges facing employers in times of economic uncertainty. Redundancies or headcount freezes put pressure on the remaining workforce, leading to increased levels of stress. At the same time those who have a job often feel they should remain in a ‘safe’ position rather than risk moving, thus reducing the talent pool.”

Simpson comments, “While this shift is understandable in the short term, the danger is in neglecting the needs of the wider workforce – which may contain the stars of tomorrow - and leads to potential disengagement and reduced levels of output.”