The Changing Landscape of Staffing

To continue to deliver for our clients, we must understand the changing landscape of our industry.

The role of employers and employees has changed dramatically in the last two years, and there’s no return to any sense of pre-pandemic ‘normal’. In the digital world of recruitment, it could be argued that traditional headhunting is becoming less relevant. Increasing digitalisation, a shift to hybrid working, and a more flexible workforce that includes consultants, contractors, freelancers and outsourcing are all trends affecting the recruitment industry.

To continue to deliver for our clients, we must understand the changing landscape of staffing, identifying opportunities to engage and reward the best talent wherever they are and however they choose to work.

Future of work

Driven by the COVID-19 crisis and the rapid recovery, businesses in every sector face skills shortages, but it’s being felt most acutely in tech. Research produced by Harvey Nash Group in late 2021 found the skills shortage in tech is the worst it has ever been, with 66% of digital leaders unable to keep pace with change as they don’t have access to the tech talent they require. The challenges facing the tech industry provide a great case study for any company, with some significant lessons for us all.

Almost half (40%) of UK digital leaders can’t retain talent. It’s true that tech salaries are increasing across the world, but tackling the talent gap is more complicated and involved. Employees are searching for more than bigger pay packets; it’s about the package and the perks, too, Harvey Nash found.

Employers simply can’t consider hybrid work as an optional extra. “Flexibility around how, where, and when people work is no longer a differentiator; it’s now table stakes,” said Gartner’s Brian Kropp and Emily Rose McRae. Research performed by the pair found that 90% of US firms are introducing some form of hybrid working, with up to a third considering a four-day week to keep existing staff and attract new ones.

Companies can mandate staff return to the old ways of working, but it’s a bad idea, say, Kropp and McRae. “Demanding employees return to the office will only further exacerbate turnover rates.” Where and how we work has changed, and it’s transforming our sector.

Flexibility and Agility 

COVID-19 has shown employees that they can work effectively from anywhere. Before the pandemic, just 5% of employees worked mainly from home; today, that’s 17.6%.

New digital technologies enable us all to perform roles more productively at home. In May 2020, researchers launched a monthly survey of 30,000 workers based across the USA to understand how hybrid working affected their lives. Over half of all participants said they were more productive working at home. Overall, the participants found they were 7% more productive than working in an office.

Employers can search for talent globally, confident that they can deliver as effectively as any in-house employee with the proper support.

Working in an agile way means individuals with specific skills can be brought in for a project, then disbanded as quickly. Employees in all roles can be interviewed, appointed and incorporated into teams and organisations remotely, without ever setting foot inside a company building. In some cases, without even setting foot in the company’s country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed some established truths. Employers and employees are willing to embrace new ways of working, which opens incredible opportunities on both sides.

In the past, some companies working in our space were reluctant to change, mistakenly believing employers and employees preferred traditional approaches, but the pandemic has changed all that. Today, 86% of all tech firms used online platforms for interviews, and 38% of businesses have redesigned their employee offer to make them more attractive to employees, found Harvey Nash.

In response, the culture is shifting to become more collaborative. When identifying individuals for roles, we dig deeper than location and skills, exploring cultural fit and commitment.

Cultural change

“Your culture and identity will change as a result of the pandemic,” said Carsten Lund Pedersen and Thomas Ritter in the Harvard Business Review. They pose a challenge to every business: “How prepared was your organisation culturally to deal with the crisis?”

At Saragossa, we’re creating a culture that places a significant value on the concept of community. We’re not a faceless organisation suggesting matches at random based on superficial criteria. We’re a company that takes the time to get to know our people because we know that’s the basis for continued success.

“This vision is critical to the success of Saragossa and won’t be compromised as the business expands globally,” says Jimmy Lloyd, Director.

“Our industry is constantly changing and evolving, and it is important to embrace that, to be front foot, spot opportunities and adopt an agile methodology. That is why we have taken the approach internally to productise our services. This has enabled us to work in a flexible and adaptable way to ensure our clients continue to get a top-level, bespoke service,” he says.