Member Article

Driving Talent – Company cars prove huge pull to potential employees.

Half of all employees say the best perk their job could offer is a company car Only 10% of business owners intend to invest in an improved fleet this year

When it comes to attracting the best talent to your business, the car is apparently the star, according to a recent survey by OSV, the UK’s best independent vehicle supply professionals. With more than half (54%) of all interviewees saying that the best perk their job could offer would be a company car, it seems that business managers may need to reassess their recruitment packages.

It used to be that brand kudos, the potential to progress and an attractive, comfortable work environment were enough to seal an employee deal, but now a quarter (25%) of all workers claim that a company car was the deciding factor when taking a job, and an additional 22 per cent stated that they had declined a job offer because it didn’t include a company vehicle.

Interestingly, one of the main reasons, given by 47% of survey respondents, for the attraction of a company car was that it provides an opportunity to drive a car they wouldn’t ordinarily aspire to, thanks to either personal financial issues, or because ‘their partner wouldn’t let them’.

Despite this, only 10% of business owners/managers said that they will be looking to invest more into fleet cars during the next financial year, which may be a mistake for businesses looking for the competitive recruitment edge. While Audi, BMW and Volkswagen are currently the most popular fleet models, it seems that upping the spec could be the quickest way to bag the best employee for your business!

OSV joint-company Director, Debbie Kirkley, comments, ‘At OSV we’ve always believed that it’s worth going the extra mile to secure the right person for the job, so it’s really interesting to see that a company car now holds such pulling power.

‘We’ve looked at this subject in the past, and the draw of a good company vehicle has increased by 21% in the last year alone. That’s really quite staggering, and it would be fascinating to find out what has motivated this change.

‘Whatever the reasons behind the draw towards company cars, it seems that few employers appreciate the increasing importance of their fleet when it comes to attracting talent, given that so few are prepared to invest in upgrading their vehicles this year. I wonder if that will change too, as competition for talent acquisition hots up in the wake of Brexit.’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Anderson .