How Hybrid Working can Allow you to Attract a Diverse Workforce

A recent government-backed study found that senior women are 20% more likely to apply for senior roles if they involve flexible working hours. Findings show there had been a lack of applications from women for senior roles, many of which had no flexible working opportunities. Female employees reported roles that have not been available on a flexible basis make them less likely to apply. The same was also seen amongst people of ethnic minorities, as people reported to having previous experience with microaggressions occurring in some office environments put them off wanting full time office roles going forward.

LinkedIn searches using the ‘Remote’ filter have increased by 60% along with the share of Remote Job Applications increasing approximately 2.5 times globally since March 2021.

Many businesses are adapting their approach to include flexible working in order to attract and retain the best employees. Common questions from candidates now revolve around working patterns and flexibility. To reach the widest pool of candidates, we recommend adding your flexible working policy to job specifications, this way your job won’t get discounted by candidates seeking their desired flexible working pattern. Although it’s certainly not impossible, clients with no flexibility to offer will often find it more difficult to recruit.

A UK-based HR company conducted a survey which found that 38% of respondents were planning to quit within the next year. Meanwhile, a Microsoft survey of 30,000 people around the world noted that 46% of people have recently thought about a “major pivot” in their career. People are essentially looking for more control of their lives. This provides opportunities for companies to empower their employees through remote working practises. Remote working is offering companies a chance to give their employees more control over their schedules. So, if you can offer job seekers the opportunity to work in a way that’s most productive for them, you’ll retain your best people.

Steve (Managing Director at T2M Resourcing) commented:

“The UK employment landscape changed significantly in 2021 with one of the most common questions we are being asked ‘can I apply for this role and work remotely?’ There are certainly some instances where remote working can be a ‘win-win’ for the employer and employee including the ability to hire great talent where people need some flexibility. However, we should not forget the huge benefits of work-place based employment such as social interaction and collaboration, building team/ company culture, the spontaneous opportunities to learn by ‘listening in’ on colleagues in action, and of course the ability to build relationships outside of your immediate function/ team”.