FUTURE TALENT November - January 2019/2020 | Page 8

F
FRONT OF HOUSE
WHAT WOULD MAKE THE INTERVIEW PROCESS BETTER FOR YOU?
60
KEY
55
35-64
year-olds
50
Millenials
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
More
transparency
regarding
salaries prior
to the
interview
Having a trial Flexible
day as part of interview
the process
times (out of
regular office
hours)
Feedback if
unsuccessful
An agenda of
the interview
beforehand
Chance to see
where you
would sit and
to meet
potential
colleagues
Being given a
task to do in
your own
time (and
being
reimbursed)
Option of
remote
preliminary
interview
(by video)
MOVE OVER,
MILLENNIALS
While millennials are forecast
to make up 35% of the global
wo r k fo rc e by 2020 ,
statistically they are still in the
minority. By 2020, a third of
UK workers will be over 50.
Despite this, a survey of 122
workplaces, conducted by IT
company cheekymunkey,
suggests that ageism is rife:
more than a quarter (26%) of
over 35s describe themselves
as having experienced age
discrimination in the
workplace and over a third
(36%) believe their age was
a disadvantage during the
interview stage.
Employers are not getting
the best out of their most
experienced employees: half
(52%) of older workers say
they have more to offer and
that their skills are not being
put to good use. However,
61% of workers aged 35-65
received no training over the
past year, rising to 76% for
55-64 year-olds.
FOUR BETTER, FOUR WORSE
When it comes to flexible working,
everyone’s talking about a four-day
working week. Some high-profile
companies have already begun to
trial this, while other organisations are
investigating what it could mean. In
the UK, a four-day working week has
become Labour policy  
“I can tell you today that the next
Labour government will put in place
the changes needed to reduce
average full-time hours to 32 a week
within the next decade,” shadow
chancellor John McDonnell told
delegates at the Labour Party
Conference in September. “A shorter
working week with no loss of pay.”
8 // Future Talent
Gathering opinions from across
the business world, including more
than 250 organisations that currently
operate with a four-day working,
Henley Business School concludes
that it could save UK businesses
around £104bn, annually.
However, despite the financial,
environmental and wellbeing
advantages, 73% of employers cite
concerns, with the need to be
available for clients and customer
servicing noted as the main barrier
for 82% of businesses. And while
most workers would opt for a
four-day working week, 45% would
worry about being perceived as lazy
by co-workers and 35% would feel
anxious about handing over their
work to colleagues.
Karen Jansen, professor of
leadership and change at Henley
Business School, says: “Today’s
challenge with implementing the
four-day working week and other
flexible arrangements lies in the
heritage of the term. Flexible work
arrangements have historically been
viewed as ‘special’ or stigmatised and
led by organisations, but our white
paper shows views are changing.
Individuals are now the ones pushing
for a broader view of flexibility as
better and smarter ways of working.”