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There may well be prolonged discussion about UK party leaders and potential strategies, but there’s no doubt this drawn out political uncertainty is having an impact on recruitment.
Seemingly, companies are not in a hurry to take on new staff.
Last month saw a real dip. Uncertainty is never an ideal sentiment and until the UK has more of a settled political plan for Brexit the future vacancy growth is likely to stay lower than we might like.
Staff welfare has never been so far up the agenda
Looking after staff and getting the very best for them may well be the way to go. Employers are beginning to realise that it’s advisable to re-evaluate the importance and value of existing staff. Despite falls in recruitment there is still a shortage of highly skilled staff in some areas. IT & Computing, Engineering, Hotel & Catering and Accounting are all shortage areas.
What is the true cost of not recruiting key staff?
Key Observations
As a recruiter in the Food and Drink Industry I regularly see the impact of companies not filling key roles. It’s not just the cost of being one team member short; the knock on effect right across a business and beyond is significant. Overworking existing staff can build resentment, poor performance and even long term sickness. The ability to remain competitive and forward thinking can be compromised when people feel they are simply fighting fires and being reactive.
2. The impact for hiring managers can also be quite significant. They have less time to dedicate to more meaningful and important tasks as they must deal with issues that don’t fall under their responsibility.
They are under pressure from their superior’s and/or shareholders because they did not meet financial objectives or production output goals and they are stressed and frustrated because they are not achieving their objectives.
3. Furthermore they have less overall time to spend with family, friends and on hobbies and personal interests. They spend less quality time with people that matter and are preoccupied with work problems when at home and can’t relax fully.
They are not able to fulfill personal financial objectives and feel they are letting their families down and also experience stress and related health issues while often feeling useless and unproductive.
Candidates are reluctant to change jobs in 2019
Treating staff well is advisable, as the total supply of candidates in the jobs market has been declining very sharply in the last month or so. There is a low unemployment rate at present but in addition to this people are less likely to move or change roles. Why? We are back to heightened uncertaint
Workers need to be highly skilled and investment is usually high; they are a company asset.
Therefore this is the perfect time to think again about how an organisation treats its staff. Also the need for regular training and continued professional development are important considerations. In my sector for example the challenges for the Food and Drink industry are vast. Workers need to be highly skilled and investment in them is always high. It strikes me that companies might work on their brand experience, not just when attracting new staff but retaining those already working with them. The superficial perk culture is probably over. Benefits with specific substance will make the difference when recruiting staff in this challenging market. Socially relevant benefits and personal development are key examples.
Finding the right staff, quickly and efficiently might really is worth the investment.
As pay pressures remain higher during June 2019 even temporary wage inflation reached a seven-month high. It is obvious that quick fixes are going to be very expensive. Finding the right staff, quickly and efficiently might really is worth the investment. Putting a vacancy on a social media platform and hoping for the best is not an ideal strategy in 2019.
Calculating the true cost of unfilled key executive vacancies might be more eye watering than you might have imagined.
Overcoming recruitment inertia is something you might want to add to your To Do list. I am more than happy to discuss the options open to your company in the search for executive staff in the Food and Drink sector. With 20+ years of experience I can certainly help you overcome the challenges of finding highly skilled staff.
Here are 3 ways I can help:
1. Claim a copy of the FREE 7 page guide that reveals why you’re missing out on top performing Senior Executives, why they are joining your competitors instead of you and how to fix it by clicking here
2. Join the brand new Facebook community for smart Food Industry professionals who want to network, share ideas, knowledge and industry news by clicking here
3. If you want to attract the top 1% of talent in the Food and Ingredients sector book an appointment to talk directly with me by clicking here
I will be attending the Food Ingredients Exhibition in Paris on 3-5 December, let me know if you are also going as it would be great to meet up.