09 Mar Latest Blog

Blog post – How to attract and retain staff in the current climate

Recruitment and retention are hugely challenging in the current economic climate. It is a candidate driven market and the job seekers are the ones calling the shots.

In order to secure the best talent, employers must act quickly to attract staff if they come across a potential candidate.

Here at Wills Consultants, we are advising clients to jump on a CV straightaway if they’re interested in someone, as well as be ready with the recruitment process and interview dates.

Candidates have the power. If you successfully get them over the threshold in the first place, you then need to back that up with an impressive package to keep them interested.

It’s not just about salary

It used to be that salary was the main attraction for a new job, and salary is still vital, due to the current cost-of-living crisis, but there is also a need for additional extras to make your role appear more attractive than others.

Salaries need to be attractive and should not fall below the industry minimum. We offer a benchmarking service to ensure that salaries remain competitive and desirable to any new potential employees.

We are also advising companies to review salaries and benefits packages, such as flexible working and salary sacrifice schemes to ensure they remain an attractive employer.

Improve your onboarding process

We are strongly advising our clients on the need to have a recruitment plan in place. This is to ensure that candidates are not left waiting between the stages of the recruitment process. There is a real risk of losing good candidates to other employers if your recruitment plan is not streamlined with a quick turn round.

Once an offer has been made and accepted there can be a delay in the candidate starting their new role especially if they have a notice period.

Communication is key here. Regular communication with the candidate not only gives a positive impression of the company it keeps the candidate interested and prevents their head being turned by other opportunities.

They will, inevitably, have recruitment companies contacting them during their notice period so ensure you contact your new employee regularly to show your interest and give a solid, memorable first impression.

Starting regular, open communication from the outset also lays great foundations for a new working relationship.

Navigating counteroffers

We are definitely seeing an increase of counteroffers in the market, which is causing an issue for employers.

Employers are realising that staff are looking elsewhere, therefore, our advice, is to review their current salaries and benefits packages to retain employees.

Candidates don’t necessarily want to move jobs because they will have a probation period and risk losing their employment rights, which is a worry in the current climate. So, a lot of the people looking aren’t necessarily wanting to move, it might just be that they want something more.

Counteroffers within a candidate driven market can be difficult to manage. However, using an experienced recruitment consultancy such as us can be advantageous as we are able to guide and assist both candidates and clients to encourage a positive outcome.

Use the experts

With the current climate we are seeing more of a collaborative approach between us and our clients. We are the experts, we know the industry and our customers, who value our advice and take it on board.

We, as a collective, must be proactive, rather than waiting for applications to come in. At present, most candidates must be sourced, which means most company directors simply don’t have the time to do our job and successfully recruit.

People are seeing value in companies like ourselves. If you use an expert, you can avoid costing yourself time and money with recruitment.

Get in touch with a member of our team today to see if we can help you. Call 01536 512202.