28 Jul Anatomy of … Recruitment During the “Great Resignation”

Tempting Top Talent

A wave of professionals leaving their jobs since the pandemic has led to the “Great Resignation”—in which employees are rethinking their life and career choices, says Lily Valentin, career expert for job search engine Adzuna.

That, in turn, has changed the game when it comes to recruiting.

“Long gone are the days when some extra cash or a sign-on bonus was enough to seal the deal with a candidate,” Valentin says. If you want to launch an effective recruitment strategy, Adzuna recommends that your plan include the following:

Remote work flexibility. Nearly half of employees—48 percent—want to work from home at least part-time, according to workplace productivity firm Envoy. A remote or hybrid strategy can help candidates achieve better work-life balance.

Child-care support. Working mothers often bear the brunt of child caregiving responsibilities. In fact, 23 percent of mothers with children under 10 have considered leaving the workforce compared with 10 percent of women without children, according to a 2021 Leanin.org and McKinsey study.

Mental and physical health programs. Research from Gallup found that job hunters list “an organization that cares about employees’ well-being” as one of their top three criteria when looking for an employer.

On-the-job training. Employees want to improve their skills so they can experience career growth and development. In fact, only 38 percent of exiting employees said they saw opportunities for professional growth at their organizations, a survey by human resources tech provider Quantum Workplace found.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. A whopping 78 percent of workers say it is important that they work for a company that prioritizes DEI efforts, according to a CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey. More than half—53 percent—say it is “very important.”

A stay interview strategy. Your current workforce can clue you into what job candidates may need. Conduct interviews or anonymous surveys with current employees to learn what will make them remain with your organization, and apply the insights when recruiting.

“The best talent will naturally flow to companies with great working cultures and happy staff.”