Retaining talent has long been a key issue facing HR teams, with more than a third (34%) of UK employees leaving their employer every year on average, according to The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
And, at a time when many businesses can ill afford churn, the UK’s Employment Rights Bill has the potential to strengthen relationships between employers and staff – bringing success to both camps.
The Employment Rights Bill is set to redefine the workplace norm, providing day-one rights such as the right to request flexible working and protections against unfair dismissal. These measures hail a new era of employee empowerment that HR professionals should leverage to foster a more loyal and committed workforce. By prioritising trust and transparency from induction and onboarding, recruitment teams and employers can lay the foundation for talent retention.
While some legislatory changes offer slow change, or a staged evolution, the Bill marks a fundamental shift that businesses can’t ignore. Flexibility is no longer a perk; it must now be built into recruitment and talent strategies from the outset.
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We believe that flexibility must be embedded in job opportunities, from allowing flextime with core hours, to offering options for full or partial remote working, as well as digital tools and training for employees to succeed regardless of where and when they work. Flexible hiring should create opportunities that fit the lives of candidates and ensure a fair and accessible approach that reflects the realities of a modern, diverse workforce. It’s not enough to build policies; good communication is crucial.
Flexible options should be clearly spelled out within job postings as well as during the hiring process to ensure working arrangements are aligned with the candidate’s needs, improving employee satisfaction later down the line and making sure that everyone is clear about what’s on offer, from before day one.
A world beyond the CV
This Bill is a big jump in the right direction. But flexible working policies are just the beginning. Key to talent acquisition and retention is a fundamental rethinking of how employers view skills, and the attributes that are viewed as most valuable in this new, flexible world. Time-management and organisational skills are important to many roles, as well as being a self-starter and able to work independently, when working remotely and away from other employees. Assessing if candidates are ready for both in-office and remote roles, whether through interview questions or specific skills assessments, enables HR teams to attract qualified candidates who align with the organisation’s flexible work culture.
All of this doesn’t just help with the hiring process, but ensures that recruits are actually suited for a specific role and work environment – vital when it comes to ensuring retention for the long term.
The tech-powered recruitment process
Of course, flexibility isn’t just about where and how people work. It begins with a recruitment process that adapts to candidates’ needs and preferences, using technology to provide seamless, engaging experiences at every step.
Recruitment technology, particularly tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), can inject flexibility and streamline the recruitment process while delivering valuable insights for better-informed decisions. According to HireVue’s 2024 Global Trends Report, 37% of recruitment teams are putting more emphasis on candidates’ future potential rather than past experiences. Skills assessments are therefore crucial to measure job potential and transferable skills, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of talent teams already using skills assessments to determine candidate potential and 21% having replaced CVs with these assessments.
Automated interview scheduling also allows candidates to choose times that best suit them while reducing the back-and-forth of coordinating interviews. Globally, over 90% of interviews conducted through HireVue’s recruitment tech platform between January and September took place asynchronously, demonstrating the growing preference for interview processes which are flexible to a candidate’s schedule. This level of flexibility can enhance the candidate experience, showing early on that the organisation values their time and work-life balance. By embedding flexibility throughout hiring and onboarding, businesses gain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent.
AI can also analyse vast amounts of data to provide insights into candidate skills and compatibility with flexible roles as well as with the organisational culture. With tricky job titles or confusing job descriptions, candidates often struggle to find the right job because they don’t know where to start. AI-powered assistants can open up more opportunities for candidates by finding job roles that fit their skill set. Recruiters can also tap into these data-driven insights to make better-informed hiring decisions as well as personalise the onboarding process so new hires can smoothly transition into the business.
Starting a flexible role
The first few months are critical for a new hire – a make or break for long-term success. In these crucial first weeks and months, AI can be used to deliver tailored resources and training to get them up to speed with their new role and the company culture. By personalising the onboarding process to an employee’s needs and skills, HR teams can help new hires feel connected and supported from day one. This proactive approach keeps employees engaged from the beginning of their journey at an organisation, increasing the likelihood of talent retention.
Ultimately, the Employment Rights Bill presents an opportunity for HR professionals. As the Bill strengthens employee rights and protections, recruitment teams should capitalise on the proposed changes to strengthen the relationship between employers and staff by fostering loyalty and trust from day one. By injecting flexibility into working arrangements and the hiring and onboarding process, organisations can stand out in this competitive talent market. This is a win-win for employers and employees alike; staff can benefit from greater flexibility within their job role and hours as well as ensuring they’re best aligned with their new position while employers benefit from a more satisfied, engaged workforce that is more likely to stay.
Tom is an Industrial/Organisational Psychologist who helps organisations identify, understand and develop the right individuals so that they can thrive in their job. He helps companies blend psychometric theory with artificial intelligence to create an effective solution to pre-hiring assessment.
