What could be more important than a candidate’s salary expectation? Flexible work.
The year 2020 created lasting changes to the way we work and one thing is now certain, flexible work is here to stay.
This is putting pressure on companies to re-strategize for a balance of the in-person connection versus work from home connection.
This is something the recruitment sector is seeing increase as candidates bargain for flexible working options, which is becoming nearly as important as salary expectations.
40% of the global workforce is reported to have considered leaving their employer due to the open market of jobs and ability to move where they can work remotely. Workers aren’t just evaluating their workspace, but their home bases, priorities and lives. Why pay high rent to live close to the city and have a short commute when you relocate to somewhere more attractive for your family like the coast, inland or to the countryside, and work remotely? These are shifted priorities workers are now embedding into their choices. In recruitment we are seeing this as candidates are either working from home full-time, part-time and are not just looking, but expecting to, keep this flexible environment in their next move.
A recent study conducted by Accenture of 1,500 senior executives across 10 industries and 12 countries showed that while many executives recognise the coming transformation of workplaces, only few are prepared to act and most only strategizing for minor adjustments to operations.
After having a taste of genuine flexibility in the past year, everyone’s who learned to thrive while working remotely has come to expect it in their day-to-day.
In August, I wrote about the drought of talent in a downpour of jobs available so with this trend in mind, companies need to be strategizing for hybrid working modes and brands should be preparing their hiring strategies for the future of recruitment and changed expectation of working relationships and responsibilities. If you aren’t offering flexibility, it is likely someone else is and a competitive pay package may not be enough to attract or retain workers.