How does your employer brand stack up in the renewed war for talent?

How does your employer brand stack up in the renewed war for talent?

Post-pandemic and post-Brexit we have a very different recruitment landscape: job vacancies continue to increase; more people are looking to switch careers.

There were more than two million job vacancies advertised between the 4th and 10th of October according to a Recruitment & Employment Confederation report. The swell of demand is also being seen in almost every locality of the UK, and across every sector. The largest increases in vacancies have been those areas that have been re-opening since Covid-19: in sports and leisure, libraries and housekeeping. Anecdotally, employers and employer groups have been reporting unfamiliar problems in hiring.

Greener pastures

A 2021 survey by Kallidus has suggested that almost half the UK workforce will be planning to change their job in the coming year. The main reasons given were the desire to have more flexible work patterns, to find more ‘purpose’ in their role, as well as for the more traditional reason of career progress.

In other words, in the post-pandemic environment, more people are thinking about how work makes them feel. The disruption and increased time for reflection has led to a re-analysis of priorities, a new focus on what’s most important about daily lives. Wellbeing and work/life balance over a straightforward pursuit of financial rewards.

Good stuff

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Keeping hold of staff and attracting new talent is going to be the biggest challenge of the coming year for many HR teams. The shake-up of normality, that sense of new possibilities, has made every employee think about how their life might be different and better.

“People are more conscious of what makes a ‘good’ employer. Those that provide the right mix of empathy, support and flexibility – the mix that leads to more people-shaped careers, rather than expecting staff to cram themselves into a specific set of duties and responsibilities.

“So organisations need to do much more than pay lip service to wellbeing. People need to see and feel how wellbeing is fundamental to the workplace culture, not just on the list of benefits. Strongly-promoted EAPs are a critical part of a good culture, there to provide a range of practical forms of everyday support, with people to talk to and real understanding of how work and home lives spark off each other.”

How does your employer brand stack up in the renewed war for talent? – EAPA UK