The last two years have rocked the very fundamentals by which we lead our lives, affecting our freedom of movement, our health and our ability to work the way we used to.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the way we work has been utterly upended; the rules which used to govern job searching, recruitment and employee-employer expectations have changed, with candidates, employees and employers having to adjust to a whole new set of rules.
And while the recruitment process remains largely the same (employers still need to source candidates, evaluate their fit for the role and have them complete a selection process), how they do this, who they look for and the avenues they use to find people are subject to change.
There’s nothing like a pandemic to usher in a new set of recruitment trends, and while some will inevitably evolve to fit a new reality in a few years’ time, there are some that we think are here to stay.
It’s time for a change
If you ever wanted to switch to a new career, now’s the time. As the pandemic continues to tamper with borders, visas and even local employees (many of whom have to isolate, often en-masse, due to the rampant Omicron variant), employers are faced with huge gaps in the market and they’re happy to cast a much wider net than before.
This is good news for those who have always wanted to try their hand at another career but were unable to tick all the boxes for their dream job. Employers have never been more open to hiring people with non-traditional transferable skills (such as strongly developed communication and negotiation skills, as well as information reporting capabilities and more), which are applicable to basically any role.
With so many jobs available, efficient and experienced professionals who were once overlooked because recruiters didn’t explore their transferable skills can now prove their worth with a bit of creative wrangling.
With some basic on-the-job skills training, these candidates are a huge untapped resource and can, if considered properly, bring a lot to a position that is usually reserved for those who have done the same thing for years.
The current market also spells good luck for contract and project work. As employers struggle to fill positions quickly, skilled contractors and consultants are able to take advantage of the dearth of full-time talent and offer their services for better conditions and prices.
Diversity and inclusion are crucial
It’s been well documented that workplace diversity, whether it’s cultural, gender or neurodiverse, contributes to higher profitability, increased productivity and is a key driver of innovation and creativity.
And while it’s taken a long time for many companies to accept that diversity makes for good business, it’s looking like 2022 may advance the cause further.
As technology becomes an even more important tool in the hiring process, businesses are increasingly using programs and workplace assessment tools which remove unconscious bias in the recruitment process and build diverse workplaces.
We also see that more companies are creating full-time Chief Diversity Officer roles to shepherd this move, showing that more companies are taking their responsibility to hire more widely seriously.
At a time when employees have the upper hand, companies which prioritise diversity are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction and decision making, which leads to increased profits, as well as opens the door to all kinds of diversity, such as in age, sexual orientation and experience, which are also likely to bring some level of competitive advantage for companies that can attract and retain such diverse talent.
Flexibility (including the opportunity to WFH or, at the very least, hybrid work)
Perhaps one of the biggest changes to the way we work is the exponential growth in flexible working arrangements.
As waves of COVID-19 continue to flood our daily lives, most employers have had to allow their workforce to transition to a work-from-home (WFH) model during certain periods.
And while some businesses may be keen to get their employees back to the office, new COVID-19 outbreaks keep workers from coming back permanently, further cementing the WFH trend. As a result, many candidates are now expecting flexible arrangements to be part of the overall package, and employers who refuse stand to lose out on some great talent.
As The Great Resignation continues into 2022, so does the evolution of workplace practices and expectations. And while the current trends, so heavily skewed towards candidates, may not last forever, some – such as working from home and an increased focus on hiring diverse talent – will stay for good.
And we’re all better for it.
Graham Moody is passionate about creating workplace experiences that help people, teams and organisations thrive. He is an executive people and culture leader with 20 years’ global experience, gained largely in the tech space from startup to large multinationals.
With a background in Psychology, Graham is an advocate for applying a design-thinking approach to optimise experiences across the entire candidate/employee journey. He specialises in scaling culture through design-centred practices and strong operational excellence, adding to this important mix wellness as a strategic driver of performance.
A big-picture thinker, Graham loves working with senior leadership teams to design and architect high performance cultures to drive organisational success.