RECRUITMENT
Transparency is key – that ’ s a key message from Westray recruitment expert Tony Hutchinson .
WINNING THE BATTLE TO ATTRACT TALENT
Tony Hutchinson , Westray Recruitment Group ’ s operations director , tells Tees Business writer Philip Tallentire why it ’ s vital that firms searching for ideal new recruits fine-tune their service offering .
PICTURE : TOM BANKS
PT : Let ’ s start by exploring the phrase ‘ service offering ’, what does this mean for employers searching for the right recruits ? TH : Honing a business ’ s service offering is based around candidate attraction and retention . It ’ s defining what company X can do to be perceived as a more attractive place to work than company Y . I am finding that the elite companies are now working hard to clearly define who they are , what they stand for and their values , mission , beliefs and ethics .
Is the approach reflective of an employee ’ s changing expectations in the workplace ? Gen Zs , who now take up more than a third of the global workforce , are shown to be cause-motivated and they look to align to businesses who are clearly defined . This alignment both fuels attraction and retention .
In this digital age of information , candidates want to know what they are getting themselves into and organisations have to be open about who they are and clearly define their culture so that people can align to it .
How important is earning potential when it comes to recruits choosing a new job ? When I first started working in recruitment , cash was king and , although I will never play down the importance of salary as a primary motivator , companies now need to showcase their full offering . That includes holiday entitlement , a pension plan , workplace perks , healthcare options , training opportunities , access to hybrid / homeworking and future development .
In a recent survey conducted by Westray Recruitment Group , of 115 leading business delegates , 46 per cent of those surveyed prioritised training and progression as being their biggest driver for attraction and 70 per cent said that money was not their biggest driver in securing their next role .
Bearing that in mind , how should businesses approach recruitment in 2024 ? With regards the employee / employer value proposition , the question is : What is the prospective employee gaining from choosing to join company X over company Y ?
For me , the biggest takeaway for businesses is that transparency is key . It is a candidate ’ s marketplace due to the intense competition for high quality recruits factoring the skills shortage and limited labour supplies . In short , candidates hold the power . The power comes from the abundance of choices candidates have .
Businesses need to contemplate how they can aid a person ’ s advancement and what access to training and development they can offer . The best companies are completely honest and transparent with who they are . If a company is closed and does not follow the transparency path and it is unclear as to what is exactly being offered to the candidate then the likelihood is they will lose out at the offer stage .
How has the working environment changed in the region in recent years ? It is such an exciting time to be on Teesside at present . I love seeing our region thrive and the high levels of investment being made within it . I am a strong advocate for championing our locality and I believe there is no better place to work than our region , as it is the people that make it so special . Our people are warm , friendly and adaptable and we have shown we can bounce back from adversity .
Teesside is a much different place now to what it was 20 years ago - we are on the up ! However , having said that , our region , like the rest of the UK , is not without its challenges . We have an ageing workforce , skilled workers are in demand and competition is rife between companies to attract and retain the best talent . After all , businesses are only as good as the people within them .
For more information about Westray Recruitment Group and its services , visit westrayrecruitment . co . uk
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