World of work – one year on: careers, recruitment, and workplace change
There’s no denying that Covid-19 has – and will continue to have – a hugely disruptive effect on everything to do with the world of work. We’re working differently, collaborating differently, and prioritising differently than this time last year, writes Sarah Stevenson, director, Hays.
The changes of 2020 have been so monumental that they’re signalling a new era of work. One where hybrid working, virtual communication and collaboration tools, and a focus on adaptability and resilience are the new ‘normal’ for most sectors and industries.
So, what does this mean for careers, recruitment, and the workplace?
Careers
2020 brought about huge change for professionals – including a lot of uncertainty for several people. There have been mass redundancies in some sectors, professionals adapting to furlough as well as heightened demand for professionals in areas such as tech, healthcare, and life sciences.
More professionals are now dissatisfied with their job as a result of Covid-19, leading to over two in five wanting to change something about their career in the next 12 months. According to nearly 23,000 surveyed as part of our Hays Salary & Recruiting Trends 2021 guide, about a third (32%) say their job satisfaction has worsened as a result of Covid-19. Over a quarter (28%) are now dissatisfied with their job.
Most owe their job dissatisfaction to a lack of career development opportunities and a lack of job security (both 42%).
One of the most significant career changes professionals plan to make over the next 12 months is to their working practices.
Over half (53%) plan to find a new role that is more of a mix of hybrid working (ie part office based and part remote), while 18% plan to find a new role that is based completely remotely. A fifth (10%) plan to find a new role that is office-based.
Additionally, professionals are looking to upskill in order to change their careers. Over a third (35%) plan to upskill further in their profession over the next 12 months, particularly professionals in IT (55%) and accountancy (41%). A fifth (20%) also plan to upskill in a different profession to their current one.
What’s clear is that some career changes lie in the hands of the professional. However, employers have a responsibility where upskilling and working practices are concerned. Providing diverse training opportunities will help professionals upskill and stay engaged in their jobs, while being flexible about working practices will aid retention and work-life balance – two things which need to be on employers’ radars this year.
Recruitment
For most employers since March 2020, recruitment has been turned upside down – as recruiting and onboarding staff remotely is a completely new concept for most. While organisations that have a large global presence may have been recruiting and interviewing remotely for some time, the rest of organisations have traditionally interviewed and recruited solely face to face.
Before lockdown happened – less than 10% of our interviews took place using video conferencing – whereas this is closer to 90%. Video interviews are likely to stay for the time being and longer as they’ve had a fundamental long-term impact. There’s been lots of positives including the fact that speed to hire has decreased so employers who need certain skills quickly, have been with our help able to organise interviews and make decisions quicker.
What this time has taught us is that it is possible to recruit remotely. At the moment the whole process from recruitment to on-boarding, for most businesses is fully remote.
It goes without saying that virtual on-boarding and welcoming new starters isn’t quite as effective as if it were done in the office, but there are lots of things employers can be doing to make sure any new staff are made to feel welcome virtually. I’d advise employers to deconstruct what you would do in the office usually – who are the key people you’d need your new starter to meet? What would they typically be doing on their first day – try to replicate this as much as you can.
Looking to recruitment intentions, many employers halted their hiring back in March 2020 for all but essential roles. However, we’re now in a much more positive place. Recruitment intentions are rising, employers are more optimistic about the economy and expect business activity levels to increase over the coming year.
In data from our Salary & Recruiting Trends 2021 guide, nearly three quarters (70%) of employers said they are planning on recruiting staff over the next 12 months. Over half (55%) are planning on recruiting permanent staff and a third (34%) intend to recruit temporary, contract or interim staff. Now that the intention to hire is there, the next step for employers is to develop a competitive recruitment strategy. Today’s job seeker is very different to just six months ago. It’s vital therefore that employers appreciate how the pandemic has changed job seekers’ priorities and refresh their hiring strategy. Doing this will help them draw in the talent they need to put their organisation on the road to recovery.
Workplace
One of the biggest workplace changes overall since March 2020 is the rise of home and hybrid working. The widespread shift to a working from home model during the pandemic has encouraged many business leaders, who were previously unsure or against remote working, to design long-term flexible working strategies for their employees.
No longer a benefit reserved for a trusted few, the result has been the rise of hybrid workplaces, where some team members are based at home while others are in the office. Such a model gives employees greater freedom to balance their personal and professional lives.
In data from our Salary guide, many employers intend to change as a result going forward. For employers intending to reopen their offices once restrictions allow, half (50%) say the biggest change they intend to make is reconfiguring office space.
Other changes employers plan to make are improving access to technology (36%), which more employers are planning to do now than when surveyed in July last year (27%), and downsizing office space (33%) which more employers also want to do now (30%).
As well as the physical workplace changing, employers are clear about working patterns also changing in the future. About a third (32%) say that they would prefer their organisation to be operating half in the office and half remotely in 12 months’ time. This is followed by 29% who would prefer the majority of staff to be working remotely with some in the office, and 22%, who would prefer the majority to be in the office with some working remotely.
While many of us continue to work from home, forward-planning will be key to reopening offices. Reconfiguring or downsizing office space, as well as overhauling your tech, are significant changes that cannot take place without considering impacts to staff attraction and retention.
When it comes to working patterns, employers are urged to take a flexible approach. One size won’t fit all, so allow a variety of working patterns and check in with employees to see what their preferred way of working is.
Going forward into the new era of work
There’s been vast changes to the world of work over the past 12 months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we shouldn’t downplay the personal and economic damage that the virus has caused.
However, there are positives of such sweeping change, and it has forced useful change in our world of work.
Employers should be looking ahead, as there are real opportunities to create new products and services, improve old ones and build a better, more inclusive and rewarding workplace than the one we knew in March 2020.
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