Health & Safety Top Priority for Energy Candidates in 2021

Did you know that the number one reason for candidates in the Energy industry to turn down an employment opportunity is a company having a poor reputation for Health & Safety? 

An Energy company’s reputation for Health & Safety can make or break its long-term success. Creating and maintaining such a reputation is an on-going and challenging process, but the payoff in terms of competitiveness and candidate attraction is well worth the effort.

It’s no surprise, then, that 50% of respondents to the 2021 Energy Outlook Report cited poor Health & Safety reputation as the number one reason for candidates to turn down a job opportunity, with 85% deeming it of ‘high importance’ when looking for a new role.  

How can you ensure your company’s Health & Safety standards are attracting top candidates and not repelling them? Here, we take a look at insights from our 2021 Energy Outlook Report to break down the three most critical factors to consider. 

Considering that nearly one-third (32%) of employees feel their company needs to invest more in Health & Safety training, increasing and enhancing your company’s safety and compliance training is the best place to begin revamping your Health & Safety culture.

In fact, among respondents who are currently in employment (both permanent and contractors), only 63% say they feel confident about their employer's Health & Safety practices, while only 57% agree that their companies offer high quality Health & Safety training. Most concerning, nearly one in six (14%) reported that their employer offered either ‘basic’ Health & Safety training, or none at all.

These figures expose the need for businesses to further expand their Health & Safety training programmes – especially in Africa and the Middle East, where 51% and 44% noted the need for more training initiatives.

Among respondents who are currently in employment (both permanent and contractors), only 57% agree that their companies offer high quality Health & Safety training.

There is significant geographical divergence when it comes to concerns about Health & Safety compliance. Workers cited the Middle East (30%), India (30%), and West Africa (29%) as the top three regions for compliance concerns, while the USA was named by more than one in five (21%).