UK candidates are dissatisfied with traditional 9-to-5 career models and are now looking at alternative working lifestyles. Candidates endeavour to achieve a better work-life balance and therefore are seeking out roles with flexible working hours, according to a study from PageGroup. Employees want a career that suits them on both a professional and personal level, which means renouncing traditional work days sat behind an office desk.
“It is vital that businesses take the time to understand the impact that social and cultural changes – such as motivators, flexible working and increased equality in the workplace – have on potential candidates and their requirements from a role. If they don’t, businesses could face losing out on talent due to their antiquated opinions and attitudes towards their employee offerings,” commented Oliver Watson, Managing Director of PageGroup.
With skills shortages still existing and the ‘war on talent’ raging in the UK, businesses are going to have to open up to the idea of alternative working models to suit candidates.
The big motivator for candidates currently is flexible working hours. Nearly 60% of candidates cited this as one of the prime motivating factors when looking for new job opportunities. Candidates want to cut down on unproductive commute times where possible and take advantage of modern technology. In the past year only 17% of employees were offered flexible working arrangements, so there’s still a long way to go on this one.
For employers, flexible working arrangements can be beneficial. While opportunities to work from home on flexible hours can keep current employees content, it can also make attracting new candidates easier and allows employers to recruit from a larger talent pool. Hiring project based freelancers rather than looking for full-time office-based workers, for example, can make hiring quicker and potentially more efficient.
While traditional considerations such as salary and location are still important for candidates, company culture has recently become a more important factor. For professionals aged 28-30, 45% felt that company culture is an important consideration. There is certainly an increased emphasis on companies finding candidates that are a ‘cultural fit’ as a way to create a certain working environment and reduce employee turnover.
Conclusively, the reports finds that “Candidates are now looking for opportunities to shape their careers in ways that suit them. With the job market becoming increasingly competitive when it comes to attracting talent, businesses that fail to update their candidate attraction strategies and recruitment processes can expect to face a tougher future.”
For businesses who want to succeed, now is the time for breaking the traditional work stereotypes and adapting to meet the demands of candidates. Old fashioned practices are making way for modern work cultures in which flexible working is at the top of the priority list.
About the Author: Ron Stewart has worked in the recruitment industry for 30 years, having owned companies in the IT, construction and medical sectors. He runs the Jobs4Group, and is CEO of Jobs4Medical.
