- 33% say the best perk their job could offer is a company car.
It’s always been a difficult question – how to attract the best talent to your business. Sure; money talks, but it’s not the only influencer. These days the savvy job-hunter is looking for company kudos; the old ‘how good will this look on my CV?’ chestnut. They want an attractive and comfortable work environment. They look for the potential to progress. And, all other things being equal, they look to employment perks: assisted childcare; healthcare; dental; and yes, according to a recent survey by OSV, the UK’s best independent vehicle supply professionals, they look for a company car.
A third (33%) of all interviewees said that the best perk their job could offer was the company car, so is it time that more employers used their fleet as pulling power to attract the very best talent? For one in five (19%) workers, a company car was the deciding factor when taking a job, and 16 per cent stated that not having a company car was a deal-breaker, so it seems that for many the traditional ‘perk’ has become a ‘prerequisite’. Why? Because for many people (41%) it provides an opportunity to drive a car they wouldn’t ordinarily aspire to, whether through personal financial issues, or because ‘their partner wouldn’t let them’.
With the majority of business owners citing Audi, BMW and Volkswagen as the most likely car brands they would choose as fleet vehicles, it looks like selecting a slightly higher spec model could make the difference between securing the perfect employee for the job and settling for second best. Despite this, only one in ten (10%) businesses said they will be looking to invest more into fleet cars in the next 12 months – which seems a little like false economy.
OSV joint-company Director, Andrew Kirkley, comments, ‘It’s interesting to see that thirty per cent of company managers are confident that they will be able to reduce company expenditure on fleet fuel this year, due to the continuing fall of international oil prices, but so few of them are considering reinvesting the savings into enhancing their fleet vehicles.
‘Experience has shown me that my business is only as good and strong as the people I employ to work in it. If enhancing the perks I can offer will give me the edge over my competitors, then in my view it’s money well spent. ‘
Of course, there are many different factors to consider when putting together a remuneration package for potential star employees, but with the company car proving such an attraction, it may well pay to use your fleet as a recruitment carrot.
