Looking for Human Resources Candidates?

If you’re struggling to find quality candidates for roles, you’re not alone. At Appointments here, we are remaining positive that we can source candidates.  However, we are seeing recruitment trends this year that pose real issues for all types of sectors. Of course, Brexit does feature as a reason. According to research by Quinyx, in collaboration with Development Economics and Censuswide, many businesses are wary about talent pipelines post-Brexit. Nearly half (49 percent) of employers said that they’ve seen a negative impact on their future recruitment of manual and elementary service workers – with 15 percent expecting it to be severe It’s not just about Brexit though… It’s easy to label all shortages as post-Brexit issues, when there are other reasons too. Low pay, the lack of flexible working and poor working conditions all play a large role in recruitment and retention issues. However, when revenues are tightening, it’s hard to be able to absorb any extra costs. Flexible working has been a feature of work for many during the pandemic, but for some roles, especially in care homes and in manufacturing, these options aren’t feasible. We’re also finding that specific skills, such as IT, banking and engineering are impacted, and with qualified candidates in demand, we’re even more determined to be creative with sourcing. Don’t stop still – keep moving It’s a question about what you can and cannot control, so consider the factors you are able to influence. Just allowing things tick over until a better opportunity emerges can stall growth and prevent you from succeeding. For example, use this time now to review finances and put together strategies to deal with issues in the short to medium-term that may prevent your company from surviving or thriving. Also, take a deep dive into the motivational facets of your workforce, to gain insights for future leverage. Here are some of our ideas. Seek actionable feedback from current employees: If we could change an aspect of your job to improve how you work, what would that be? What latent skills do you have that you don’t use? For example: work or groups outside of work. How could you use these at work? What skills would you like to develop? How will they benefit, you, and the organisation? How could I, as a manager, better support you? Retention and Recruitment: Resource planning, using data and analytics – create a clear plan of what and why, and when to start recruitment well in advance Understand the objectives for the role / company, etc. Consider flex of fit, not just fit Defining what “best” looks like – ideal experience you want (and what you can get) Pay what you can to retain current workers If you can offer flexible working, or flexible training, consider a trial Ask employees why they stay, include this information in adverts. Ensure you feature positive employee case studies on your website to boost your employer brand Get in touch with the Appointments team if you want to discuss any aspects of our blog. We’re here to help! Find out more about recruitment planning . Book a recruitment audit with us , to see if your recruitment processes are helping or hindering you.

Being a director of a recruitment agency, I get to talk to a number of HR professionals on a regular basis and I was not surprised to learn that so many people are unhappy in their job right now. So… is now the right time to leave your HR role? The pandemic caused a lot of stress in HR, you are more than likely dealing with stressed out Directors as well as dealing with recruitment difficulties and maybe even the uncertainty of your own job. There is an ever-increasing pile of employment related issues and you are overrun with keeping up with job retention schemes, salary negotiations and restructuring programmes. We are hoping the up and coming challenges with the cost of living won’t be too painful and as long as you retain your passion for the HR field and the people, and your sense of humour, you can overlook a lot of aggravation. We are seeing that the recruitment market is still challenging, and HR is certainly an area that is needed. So maybe it’s time to take a step back and consider your options. I have put together 7 issues that I come across on a regular basis for the reasons why HR professionals move jobs, if you can resonate with more than 3 of these then maybe it is time for a move. You have lost your passion and you find that your mission for working in HR and your goals are no longer meaningful to you. You find that most of your time is mired in administrative and transactional tasks, not at all what you signed on to spend your time doing in your HR employment, and you have been unable to find a way to change the situation. Your industry has experienced economic turmoil and you have laid employees off, downsized your business, dealt with the fear, mistrust, loss, and the grief of remaining co-workers, and you’re just burnt out in your HR role. You no longer think about employees as valued resources. Instead, they are the whiners, the complainers, and you are just plain tired of dealing with employee complaints and employees. You perceive little or no opportunity for advancement or career development. You feel locked into the same HR role at different levels unless you are at a very big company where career advancement and lateral moves are more frequent. And, you would like to try something different to grow and develop your skills. You are tired of teaching managers over and over the appropriate steps for employee disciplinary action. They wait too long and involve you too late after they have made mistakes. You fight continually to be relevant and strategic, yet the day-to-day responsibilities constantly consume your time. Your organisation rewards you more for the daily record keeping tasks than it does for your strategic thinking, your vision of the HR contribution to the bottom line, and your participation in executive planning to direct the company. Battles with finance over cost versus retention, reward, recognition, and employee empowerment are frequent and painful. One recent trend was the reduction of in-house HR and small HR departments due to outsourcing and technology. Another was how HR will become more like Marketing due to ‘talent buying’ and the third was HR departments will have to manage a remote workforce. These changes may impact on your future in HR and if it is the industry for you. So, the main question is, should I be looking for a new job right now? Only you can really answer that question, however If you feel like you want a new opportunity it does not do any harm to be on the lookout for what is available. Do not be afraid to change industries’ and focus on your career goals, remember there is always a job for the right person out there! The beauty of technology and online communication allows you to expand your professional network easily! You can make new career connections and have social interactions all from the comfort of your own home. If you would like to discuss moving from your current HR role then please feel free to get in touch with me: kerry@appointmentspersonnel.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn.