Make your company one that staff are desperate to work for

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of job vacancies in the UK rose to a record-breaking 1,300,000 between March 2022 to May 2022. One might be led to think that there has been a massive economic boom and thousands of new jobs have been generated and need filling!

But instead, we find that after a massive slump during the Pandemic years, the number of jobs available in the UK is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. So it cannot be that there are significantly more jobs now than there were before Covid-19. An alternative answer must be found.

What’s causing these vacancies?

The British Chambers of Commerce have recently released figures that suggest 4 out of 5 that were looking to recruit were having difficulty in finding staff to fill their roles. There does seem to be a lack of interest in many of these vacancies.

Many wonder what is driving this trend. Some suggest that staff are increasingly choosing jobs that suit their lifestyle needs. They want jobs that enrich them, personally, offer them development opportunities, and help them live the lifestyle they want.

Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic did not necessarily cause this trend, it accelerated it nationally, resulting in a phenomenon that is being dubbed the “Great Resignation”.

‍So, how can businesses respond to this and create workplaces that attract staff? How can you make your company one that employees are desperate to work for?

We believe that there are 4 main things that you can do to help build a company that easily attracts and retains great staff.

1. Provide opportunities for growth and development.

Providing in-house training and ensuring that constant professional development is built into your work culture is a way to ensure that your team feels that they will be invested in it.

Although you make see value in your company’s goals, your prospective employees need to see that your company will contribute to their personal future too (as well as provide them with an income and job satisfaction in their present).

This can be achieved in various ways. To begin with, you need to make sure that time is set aside for your team to develop their skills. Baking professional development into your workplace’s weekly, monthly or annual work rhythm is a good way of ensuring everyone is given time to learn on the job.

There are plenty of cost-effective solutions out there to help your team develop their professional skills. One solution is to provide a digital learning platform for them, to ensure that they can access training whether they are working remotely or in-house.

These platforms give your employees access to thousands of courses, whenever they want, allowing them to select the course that would best support their role and work through the training materials at their own pace. It is a great solution for hybrid, part-time and full-time workers.

2. Ensure a good work/life balance

Life is more than just work. When faced with a sudden and dramatic event such as a pandemic, many people feel that they want to change jobs in order to get a better quality of life. A fifth of respondents to a recent poll said that the pandemic had made them realise how short life is and had led to them handing in their resignation to their current employer sooner than they planned to do.

Employers need to respond to this in order to make their roles more attractive. When potential staff members see that a company values its employees' time outside of work, they are more likely to want to work there.

It also has benefits for the company too. When employees feel like they have enough time for both their work and their personal lives, they are less stressed and happier overall. They are also more likely to be engaged and productive at work.

3. Ensure you provide good benefits

It's no secret that good employee benefits are important to attracting and retaining quality staff.

When potential new hires are looking at job offers, they often compare the salary and benefits package from each company. If one company is offering significantly better benefits, that can be a deciding factor in which job offer the candidate accepts.

Also, good employee benefits help to retain existing employees. If a company offers good employee benefits and their competitors do not, that can be a big motivating factor for employees to stay with the company rather than leave for a new job. Employees who feel like they are being taken care of by their employer are more likely to be loyal and stick around for the long haul.

4. Encourage a positive work environment

There are several factors that contribute to a positive work environment. Some of these include good communication between management and staff, clear expectations and goals, and fair treatment of employees. When all of these elements are present, it creates an atmosphere where employees feel valued and appreciated. This in turn leads to higher levels of productivity and satisfaction.

But these elements can be hard to build when teams do not all work a set number of hours in one physical place. Many vacancies are not simple “nine-to-five” office jobs anymore.

‍Digital platforms that provide a digital space for employers to recognise the achievements of their team, communicate company values and goals and reward those who are working hard can be a fantastic solution for those wanting to build hybrid, flexible teams. Employees can log on anytime, anywhere and see updates from their colleagues and line managers, ensuring that they always feel connected to the rest of their colleagues.

Think empathetically

If you want to make your company an attractive place to work - a company that the best people want to work for - then putting yourselves in the shoes of your employers will go a long way to helping you develop your workplace.

Although the main aim of work is to provide financially for oneself, recent global events have seen a shift in the mentality of many workers. There is a greater emphasis on one's job to serve as a vehicle for self-fulfilment at work and at home. Companies need to respond to this trend if they are to compete in the job market.

As businesses seek out the best talent, there needs to be an increasing understanding and appreciation of employees' experience at work. Companies need to make a concerted effort to ensure their employees’ needs are met so that they can attract and retain the best talent.