Navigating the Current Landscape: Admin and Office Support Recruitment in Today’s Climate
27th November 2023
There are five key elements of recruitment that have been a game changer for our most successful clients. They have been such instrumental factors that it has inspired us to get busy creating a new model of recruitment we have called ADAPT.
It’s not necessary to master all of the elements of ADAPT but by building them into your recruitment process you will significantly increase your chance of hiring the people capable of transforming your business and more so – ensuring that they stay for the long-term.
The elements of ADAPT are:
Altruism | Diversity | Artificial Intelligence | Profiling | Training
If you would like to see how well you have each of these areas covered click below. Then continue reading to see where you can improve.
Altruism and authenticity are the foundation blocks for a great recruitment strategy. Simon Sinek famously told us that it all starts with ‘Why’. People don’t care about what you do until they know why you do it. To attract and retain the best people your organisation needs to be able to clearly communicate its purpose in a compelling and genuine way.
The desire to work for an organisation that has a purpose beyond maximizing shareholder returns isn’t solely the concern of the millennials. Nowadays everyone wants to know that the organisation they work for is making a difference in the world. As Steve Jobs said:
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?”
The COVID-19 crisis has further galvanized people’s minds about what’s really important to them and what values they want their employer to share.
The B Corp movement is just one example of how organisations can align themselves with a truly altruistic message as it recognises that business needs to be part of the solution to our greatest challenges. B Corp certification guarantees that a business is measuring its environmental and social impact and they commit to transparency by publishing their score online.
UK B Corps we salute you: Alpkit, Pukka Herbs, Toast Ale, Zen Internet, Ella’s Kitchen, Jamie Oliver Group
B1G1 is another organisation that helps firms to reflect on what impact they are making and how to link daily activities to a wider purpose. For us at Headway there are two main areas that we are passionate about.
The first is the United Nations’ sustainable development goal of decent work and economic growth. Through B1G1 we make an impact every day. For example, every time we call a client, we donate a day’s financial and business training to a female entrepreneur in South Sudan. In addition to this, we also focus on making a difference on climate action. From planting trees for every candidate placed to collecting coastal rubbish for each salary survey we share with a client.
Having an altruistic approach to business means that prospective employees are much more engaged in the recruitment process. They are less likely to accept a counter-offer from their existing employers. Once employed they are more likely to stay when they feel that what they do every day in their working lives has a wider positive impact. This is especially true if the organisation’s altruistic goals also align with their personal values.
Having a diverse work force is not simply a nice to have – it is vital for growth and generating new ideas in this rapidly changing business world.
“Companies with more culturally and ethnically diverse executive teams are 33% more likely to see better-than-average profits.” – McKinsey study.
In addition to gender and ethnic diversity, there are 7.7 million people in the UK of working age with a disability. This is a huge talent pool to be engaging with. If you aren’t then your competitors may well be.
Engaging with schemes such as the Disability Confident Campaign can add real value helping to secure high quality staff who are skilled, loyal and hard working. This can benefit the existing team too by improving employee morale and commitment by demonstrating that all employees are treated fairly.
Our client Virgin Money are industry leaders in diversity and inclusion, and we see the positive effects this has on their recruitment strategy every day.
“….. Diversity creates an environment where everyone feels they can thrive. We’ve made good progress with this at Virgin Money, meeting our target to have at least 40% of Leadership and Extended Leadership Team roles held by women.” – Helen Page, Group Brand Director
“As the proud sponsor of our Vibrant (LGBT) Colleague Network Group, I am a firm believer that everyone should have the same opportunities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, faith or disability. With the Vibrant Network, I help to drive sponsorship and support projects and initiatives across the organisation and be an ambassador for the Bank, helping to build our reputation and learn from the outside.” Fergus Murphy, Group Personal Director
This inclusive approach has been instrumental in Virgin Money being able to attract great people to join their team. Along with their altruistic activities – Virgin Money Giving – their fundraising platform has raised £104 million for UK charities in 2020.
Steps you can take to avoid bias:
2) If engaging with job boards, ensure that they actively promote inclusion
Make sure there is always a range of stakeholders assessing CVs and the removal of personal information prior to decision making. Selection and promotion panels need to be diverse themselves to reduce bias. Transparency is key.
Using technology to ensure you attract the best talent is so important. The pace of change in this area is astonishing. One of the latest recruitment tools is a source bot that will alert you to new people entering the job market. In the competition for the very best people acting fast and utilising this technology can be the difference between securing the person who will transform your organisation or missing out. Another impressive tool is one that will scan LinkedIn and tell you how best to approach a passive candidate. This works by analysing the language they use in their profile and allowing you to tailor your messaging accordingly. These passive candidates are notoriously difficult to engage with and are often the best people in their field.
It is estimated that automation can save those working in Human Resources 14 hours a week (source) – the average amount of time HR managers say they lose to manually completing tasks that could be automated. 28% spend 20 hours or more, 11% spend 30 hours or more.
Understanding the profiles of potential recruits is key to making the right appointments. This starts with psychometric profiling which gives insight into candidate personality type. One of the best assessments is DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Support and Conscientiousness). Understanding how an individual is likely to act when under stress is key to making the best hiring decisions and building balanced teams that stay together.
It’s important to remember that there are no right or wrong profiles for a particular role but understanding someone’s profile will mean the whole process will become more straight forward – from interviewing to training and retention and development.
Profiling also includes skills profiling. It is now easier than ever to make sure you are testing the technical skills of potential recruits. Though hiring on ability and personality rather than very niche skills is generally the preferred route for fast paced adaptive businesses.
Having a clear and comprehensive training and development strategy for all roles is the final piece of the hiring jigsaw.
27th November 2023
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