Hiring Trends – Possibl L&D, Talent & OD
Naturally this time of year makes you reflect on the near 12 months gone by. The ‘new normal’ we adjusted to during 2020 and 2021, transformed into a race to catch up on everything personal and professional all at once, unlearning new habits and behaviours as well as holding on to others.
This, coupled with political instability, financial uncertainty, war, a cost of living crisis, climate change, the sad loss of the Queen and the beginning of the King’s reign – safe to say, it’s been a lot to think about. The one constant yet again, has been change and our ability to adapt to it.
There is no doubt this has had a dramatic impact on hiring with a peak of 1.3M open roles at one stage in the summer looking across all sectors and disciplines. Looking specifically at trends in the L&D, talent & OD space both in-house and consulting we have seen recurring themes from candidates and clients that hiring teams should be aware of when hiring and creating new EVPs (employee value propositions).
WHICH EXPERTISE HAS BEEN IN DEMAND via POSSIBL in 2022? (all levels in house & consulting)
Leadership development, assessment, talent management & development, equality diversity & inclusion, learning strategy, learning design, project management.
FLEXIBILITY:
Often one of the first questions we are asked – required office days, hybrid, remote, work from anywhere, flexible working hours, compressed hours and part time roles. In our recent survey ‘would you be more likely to apply for and accept a role knowing they (employers) could offer compressed hours?’
The answer was overwhelmingly yes from 90% of the 122 respondents.
- Refine your policies
- Think about where you can flex fairly to employees and new hires
- Run surveys, ask and listen
PURPOSE, VALUES & CULTURE:
People are looking for a clear, consistent message from employers. The expectation on this has been really dialled up. Societal impact? Some accountability for climate and sustainability? Emphasis on equality, diversity, inclusion? How meaningful is the work? Is it people centric or profit focused? What is the worst behaviour tolerated?
- Be transparent
- Share evidence of your actions and commitments
- Talk about connectivity, cohesion, relationships and leadership to candidates
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
Particularly in the HR world there has been a tendency in the past to signpost ‘it’s not all about the money’. There has been a dramatic change in attitude toward salary discussions, particularly with inflation at record rates and the economic uncertainty/CoL crisis. A recent Mercer study asked ‘what keeps workers up at night’ with #1 being ‘covering monthly costs’, which was #9 in the same poll in 2021. We have seen different reactions to salaries rising – some holding steady in the interest of fairness, others looking to offer internal promotions first, others trying to keep pace with the market.
- Benchmark your salaries & benefits
- Highly skilled staff are aware of their ‘worth’ in the external market
- 59% of UK workers expect a pay rise inline with inflation (Total Jobs)
- Leavers pay rise expectations have gone up a lot.
- Attitude is now pay what I’m worth, not what I’m currently paid
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE & L&D:
We have seen increased research and curiosity from candidates into career pathways, learning and development, training and qualifications offered, international opportunities available or internal mobility. Similar to salaries, there needs to be success stories and case studies available to share for all levels of hiring to bring credibility to it.
- Latest Gartner research says 44% of HR leaders do not believe they have compelling career paths
- This could be highlighted in careers sections, job specs, interviews, briefing your recruiters or in your social media communications.
OTHER PIECES:
Across the L&D, talent & OD team at Possibl we have seen some creative ways to deal with the scarcity of skilled applicants. There has been an appetite for hiring people with no ‘in country experience’, or perhaps people on special VISAs, even looking at sponsorship in this post-brexit world where before this may have been a ‘no’ for logistical reasons. We have also seen efforts to relocate new hires – 23% of brits would consider moving abroad as part of a package (Total jobs). We have regularly advised on widening parameters of a search to enable success, such as 75/80% of the skills profile but possessing the right attitude as one example. Another trend we have seen increased interest in was for wellbeing – employers offering support and staff expecting more to be done.
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