Half of All Employees Want Flexible Working in 2020. Are You Ready to Deliver?

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If you’re going to attract the best talent, you’ve got to monitor and meet the evolving needs of the workforce. That’s no easy task, though, given that the appetites and expectations of today’s workforce are changing rapidly.

Of all the perks you can offer – such as a diverse workplace and professional training – workplace flexibility has cemented itself as the most desirable among today’s workforce.

An Ernst & Young global survey discovered that more flexibility was the most crucial perk for 9,700 young respondents. Likewise, a 2018 Deloitte survey of 10,000 respondents revealed that a lack of workplace flexibility is the main reason millennials quit their job.

Let’s take a closer look at flexible working to help you develop your approach.

In this post, we’ll cover:

  • What flexible working means,
  • Why the demand for workplace flexibility is rising, and
  • Why you should consider offering it.

What Is Flexible Working?

Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs.

With flexible working in place, employees can choose things like their schedule and whether or not they would like to work for home. Those employees use that additional flexibility and autonomy to enjoy a better work-life balance.

Many governments around the world are in the process of adjusting their labour laws and regulations to accommodate flexible working. In the UK, for instance, employees have a legal right to request flexible working from their employers.

Upon receiving that request, employers should handle it in a “reasonable manner”. This means that they should assess the viability of the application, organise a meeting with the employee and also offer an appeal process.

Why the Demand for Flexible Work is Rising

Today’s world is hectic and fast-paced. The pervasive reach of the internet also means that workers often have 24/7 connectivity to their workplace.

This new reality means that a healthy work-life balance has been disrupted. According to statistics from RescueTime, 26% of work is done outside of regular working hours. Meanwhile, another survey found that 33% of salaried workers in the US have to work on the weekend.

This dynamic isn’t sustainable, of course. The constant pressure can cause employees to develop a number of issues, including:

  • Fatigue
  • General unhappiness
  • Irritability
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure

This is why a number of workers around the world are turning to flexible work to restore a viable work-life balance.

Why Offer Flexible Working

Some employers find that they are nervous about offering flexible working to their employees. That’s not necessary, though, given that employers can also benefit from offering flexible working.

Here are the main benefits of flexible working for employers:

  1. Reduce the risk of burnout

Burnout is caused by periods of prolonged stress and its characterised by emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. Burnout is on the rise in modern workplaces, given its hectic nature.

The human cost of burnout is awful, of course, and it can also eat into the profits of businesses. Employees with burnout lead to higher staff turnover rates, lost revenue, and the potential for expensive errors.

Flexible working can help your team members to manage their workload better and strike a more fulfilling work-life balance.

  1. A more productive workforce

Several studies suggest flexible working can help employees to boost their productivity. A recent report from HSBC discovered that 85% of respondents say flexible working gives them the motivation to improve their productivity, for instance.

If you offer flexible working options to your team members, there’s a good chance that you’ll see their productivity improve.

  1. Boost staff morale

Long hours and a lack of autonomy can cause your employees to feel undervalued and frustrated. Flexible working can help your employees to feel happier and more in control, though, which can boost their morale.

Higher morale can unlock several benefits for your business. You’ll find that your employees will elevate their productivity, produce better work and improve their attendance, for instance.

  1. Boost your employer brand

It’s more complicated than ever before for businesses to find the right talent. Not only is that talent scarce, but there’s also fierce competition between companies to secure the best candidates.

The more perks that you can offer, the easier you’ll find it to beat the competition to the best talent. Flexible working has been highlighted as important to today’s candidates: offer it and you’ll be sure to attract the best.

Leverage Your Employer Brand with Elevate

With your employer brand in check, you’ll be able to find the best candidates. Learn more about Elevate and how our platform can provide you with immediate visibility to the talent you need.

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Will These Be the Fastest-Growing UK Recruitment Sectors in 2020?

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The UK is going through a period of profound change and uncertainty. Looming Brexit deadlines, sweeping changes to workers’ rights and economic uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus mean that recruiters and hiring managers need to stay on their toes.

Amid all this change, which are going to be the fastest-growing UK recruitment sectors in 2020? It’s a tough question to answer, but we’re going to dig into the numbers to paint a clearer picture so that you can prepare and plan as effectively as possible.

The Fastest-Growing UK Recruitment Sectors

Here’s a look at the critical recruitment areas in the UK that will see significant growth over the course of 2020:

IT and Digital

The UK tech sector is flourishing: investments in the UK tech sector soared to £10.1 billion in 2019 – a £3.1 billion increase in 2018’s strong figures.

Those figures mean that UK tech companies secured a third of all VC investment made in Europe last year. That impressive statistic cements the UK as a global player, and it only sits behind the US and China when it comes to total VC funding received last year.

According to Digital Minister Matt Warman, this success is testament to the UK’s “business-friendly environment, talented workforce and longstanding reputation for innovation.”

Figures from Tech Nation reveal that over 2.1 million people were working in tech in 2018, meaning that the tech industry is a more significant employer than other key sectors like hospitality, construction and financial services.

All of this means that we’ll see the demand for talented tech professionals extend way into 2020. Recruiters and hiring managers will have a tough time battling it out for the best talent until the skill shortage is addressed.

Healthcare

There are over 5,600 life science companies active in Britain, and they work incredibly hard to manufacture and market-leading clinical products and pharmaceuticals. The UK healthcare industry is only behind the US in terms of size.

An impressive one-fifth of the British workforce is currently employed in STEM-based careers, and this makes Britain the most knowledge-intensive nation in the G20 when it comes to matters of science. This strong reputation means that the UK has one of the most robust healthcare industries and most experienced workforces.

A recent UK private healthcare market report suggested that the market is estimated to grow at a rate of 2.6% by 2023. This growth has been attributed to longer NHS waiting times, referrals to the private sector and increasing uncertainty about the future of the NHS.

The UK’s strong healthcare industry and growing demand for private healthcare could result in significant hiring initiatives over the course of 2020.

Construction

The new Conservative government has promised increased expenditure in critical areas like housing, health and major civil engineering projects. This could mean that there are lots of exciting upcoming opportunities within the construction industry. Numbers from the Office for National Statistics indicate that construction work is on the rise.

The Thames Tideway and Hinkley Point projects are two significant ongoing initiatives that continue to create vacancies, for instance, while a range of additional ambitious infrastructure projects has been given the green light.

Some analysts also believe that the HS2 project will be approved this year, joining a host of ambitious rail and highway projects. Those will generate a significant number of vacancies while the government’s pledge to build 300,000 homes each year over the coming years will lead to new opportunities.

The outlook for the UK construction industry is very positive, and as such, we’ll be sure to see lots of demand for trained professionals at all levels of seniority.

Prepare for the Future with These Resources

Do you have significant talent needs to address this year? It’s critical that you capitalise on every opportunity to find the right talent; here are three useful resources that can help you to acquire the best talent over the course of the year:

Use These Steps to Secure Talent Acquisition Success in 2020

In this piece, we take you through some of the key techniques and strategies that you can use to put yourself ahead of the competition and find the best talent in 2020.

Explore these unmissable talent acquisition steps.

Half of All Employees Want Flexible Working in 2020

Flexible working is going to define the world of work in 2020 – are you prepared to deliver on your candidate preferences and unlock the benefits of flexible working?

Learn what you stand to gain by offering flexible working.

Five Unmissable 2020 Talent Acquisition Trends

There are five unique talent acquisition trends that you can capitalise on this year to get the best results.

Stay on top of these five critical 2020 acquisition trends.

Closing Thoughts

We hope that this post has given you some interesting food for thought, and we’d love to hear your ideas about what to expect from UK recruitment over the course of 2020.

If you’re planning a big recruitment drive in 2020, you should be sure to learn more about Elevate and how our AI-driven platform can empower you to move fast and recruit now.

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