Eloise’s December 2021 News – Recruitment Outlook, Great Flirtation, Christmas Staffing
Hello and welcome to December,
Here we are, the final month of the year. Do you feel ready for it? Everyone starts asking this don’t they. Are you ready for Christmas? Are you ready for the end of the year? Are you ready for next year? Wow, so much pressure.
It’s fine to be super organised. And it’s fine not to be. Most of us sit somewhere in the middle, and that’s fine too.
December can really add to your mental load. Let’s all try to be mindful of that and look after one another.
The recruitment outlook
The recruitment world is still super busy. It seems like everyone is hiring. This is great news for us as a country – it shows businesses have confidence and are looking to the future. But, as you know from my previous posts, we are very much in the grip of a candidate-driven market.
What does this mean for you?
It’s all about speed and being competitive. If you see a CV you like the look of, you have to act fast. Get that person in for an interview and if you want them you must go to offer quick. Candidates are keeping their options open and are playing the jobs field to their advantage. You have to be ‘in it to win it’ or your preferred candidate will have accepted an offer elsewhere before you’ve got your ducks in a row. And be prepared that your first offer might not be accepted. Candidates are negotiating hard.
The KPMG and REC, UK Report On Jobs, reports that starting pay increased further in October due to the scarcity of candidates and demand for staff. Both starting salaries and temp rates of pay have risen the quickest in over 24 years. You need to be aware of this when recruiting to give yourself the best chance of securing someone.
Before you go to market have a look at what similar roles are paying. It’s also really important to be open about your pay rates when you advertise. A lot of clients want to list jobs as ‘competitive salary’ but this can put candidates off applying. Give yourself the best chance by being transparent.
The ‘great flirtation’
I wrote in a previous post about the ‘great resignation’. This was the prediction of mass resignations as the jobs market swelled. Companies have been impacted by this but fortunately not as much as was predicted. Could this be because of the latest concept, the ‘great flirtation’?
An article by the BBC explored how people have made a conscious move away from staying in a job role and with the same business for a long time. Staying with one company was always considered to be the best way to climb the ladder and to build social capital within an organisation. It was also frowned upon to be a ‘job hopper’, which was a red flag when applying for a new job.
But that loyalty has often best served the business rather than the employee. Now employees are taking matters into their own hands are keeping a watchful eye on the jobs market and available positions all the time. This allows them to play the field to gain higher wages and potentially climb the corporate ladder a bit quicker.
The article does explore the benefits and pitfalls of this approach. It is certainly worth a read and something to consider when looking at how to retain your own workforce. Is there an element of the ‘great flirtation’ you could adopt within your business? Could you give employees more opportunities and variation to their role without losing them from the business? Certainly, one to mull over.
Christmas staffing and contingency plans
We can finally talk about the ‘C’ word without fear of it being too early. We’re officially in the run-up to the festive period and another holiday taking season.
Have you planned who is going to be at work and when?
Do you have a contingency plan in place to cover any potential staffing issues?
With Covid-19 cases rising and those who are not double jabbed having to isolate if contact traced, are you leaving yourself exposed with plans for a skeleton team at the end of December and beginning of January? Do you have people you can call on to cover if someone calls in sick?
Remember that we can help.
Our dedicated team work exclusively on temporary recruitment. They can work with you at a moments notice to mobilise cover wherever you need it.
Get in touch with Jodie on 07772 095366 or email [email protected] to discuss how this could work for your business.
Working with Covid-19 restrictions when recruiting
We seem to be on the edge of more restrictions coming back into place. Facemasks are back in many settings and more people are choosing to work from home again or are in and out of isolation.
This doesn’t need to scupper your recruitment plans though. Video interviews are more and more commonplace and can actually speed up your recruitment process.
Face to face interviews will always be the preferred option in my opinion. They really help in terms of body language and getting a vibe from someone that you just don’t get any other way. And this works for the employer and the candidate.
However, conducting video interviews as a first-round gives everyone more flexibility and allows you to see more people. Candidates don’t necessarily need to take time off work, so you can usually schedule everything better. And in the current fast-paced market, this can work in your favour. I would also be inclined to state in a job advert that first-round interviews will be via video call.
COP26 and what it means for businesses
We were all watching to see what would come out of COP26. Over half of the UK’s largest businesses have committed to moving to net-zero by 2050. However, small to medium-sized businesses make up almost 50% of UK business emissions. So how do we move forward with our businesses?
SME businesses are often restricted by tenancy agreements and or costs when it comes to committing to sustainability measures. And understanding how we could even make a difference is sometimes a barrier.
I have been watching the emergence and growth of Zellar. I don’t have any links with them, and I haven’t yet been in touch with them, but I have downloaded The Small Business Guide To Sustainability. It’s a really great starting point for understanding what everything means, impact and importance. There are carbon calculators and information by business type. I really love what you’re doing – simplifying sustainability. Making it accessible.
And that’s it for December
I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. If you don’t celebrate, I hope you get to enjoy some downtime.
Thanks, have a great December and be kind to yourselves.
We recruit throughout the East Midlands covering Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland and the surrounding areas, especially Market Harborough, Lutterworth, Leicester, Corby and Kettering. We help people find their perfect job and match suitable jobseekers with businesses looking to hire the best candidates across our five specialisms – Sales, Marketing, Accountancy & Finance, HR and Office
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