Whether you’re in the US or UK, chances are you’ve heard of ‘The Great Resignation’. It’s been flooding the news, social media, and our inboxes for months now – and it’s no doubt a direct result of COVID-19. But as a consequence of workers quitting their jobs in droves to seek better benefits and opportunities, we’re now entering a period dubbed the ‘Great Rehire’. In other words, a mass hiring of candidates.
Let’s take a look at what this new trend could mean for hiring in 2022, and what you can do to stand out as an employer aside from offering a competitive salary…
Top 5 candidate expectations
It’s still a candidate’s market, which means the talent is in the position to evaluate and choose from a number of potential employers – and their expectations are changing fast. This means you need to do everything in your power to attract and retain your next great employee. Here’s what you can do to ensure you stay ahead of the competition…
- Remote and hybrid working
As employees continue to demand a better work-life balance, remote and hybrid working will remain the norm in 2022.
According to recent research, 74% of workers say that having the option to work remotely would make them less likely to quit. What’s more, 77% say they’re more productive when working from home – which benefits both the employee and employer.
Yet despite these benefits of (and demand for) remote working, 44% of companies still don’t allow it. Given that 99% of people would choose to work remotely for the rest of their life – even if it’s just part-time – these businesses will likely fall behind in the race for talent. Don’t be one of them. Instead, consider offering remote working where possible. Doing so could even give you access to a broader pool of talent, especially if you hire from overseas!
- Transparency
Employer transparency has always been, and will continue to be, key when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent.
As to be expected, jobseekers and employees alike appreciate when a company is transparent and open – whether that’s around salaries and benefits or job requirements. In fact, a Glassdoor survey found that 96% of jobseekers believe it’s important to work for a business that embraces transparency. The reason? It makes them feel respected.
It goes without saying that you’d want your employees to be transparent with you, so it’s essential to repay the favour and simply be honest. If you don’t, you’ll more than likely struggle to fill your open positions – or worse, lose your best people.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
In 2022, businesses big and small must demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) if they want to attract the best candidates.
Today, 76% of people consider a diverse workforce to be a crucial factor when evaluating a company and its job offers. This is particularly important to underrepresented groups, with 32% saying they wouldn’t apply for a role at a business that lacks diversity.
So, even if you aren’t hiring exclusively for diversity, you should take DEI into consideration throughout the hiring process and even beyond. After all, more than 50% of employees believe that their business should be doing far more to increase diversity among its workforce.
- Training and upskilling
Over the last two years, employee training and upskilling have become increasingly vital – and we expect it to remain so, particularly in the hybrid work model.
Recent research shows that 76% of employees are more likely to stay with a business that provides continuous training. Yet only 46% of companies offer training specifically for new graduates who are just entering the workforce, despite 85% of HR leaders finding it to be beneficial to business growth.
It’s no wonder, then, that over half of HR leaders say they’ll provide upskilling (59%) and reskilling (55%) training in 2022. If you want to address the skills gap and ensure your best people stay on board, learning and development opportunities are a must-have – whether they’re delivered virtually or face to face.
- Sleeker recruitment processes
If you want to win in the war for talent, a sleeker recruitment process will be absolutely necessary.
Understandably, candidates are often turned off by a lengthy, multiple-stage interview process. Indeed, anything beyond three stages is overkill. To reduce your time to hire and ensure you only meet with pre-qualified specialists, you need a talent partner that can effectively manage the candidate experience – and we’re the team to turn to.
Win the race for top talent
At Edge Tech, we have an extensive network of technical, sales, and operational specialists and can fill your perm and interim positions in as little as 48 hours. Contact us today using the details below and we’ll take the headache away from recruiting.
Telephone (UK): 01908 382 398
Telephone (US): +1 (628) 254 5056
Email: info@edgetech.ai