RECRUITMENT
Are Bath ' s micro businesses thriving with employee engagement ?
Dan Barfoot , Operations Director at local recruitment firm , CMD Recruitment takes a look .
Over 88.8 per cent of Bath ’ s businesses are micro businesses with less than 10 employees per organisation . Anyone looking to advance their career within a large organisation may be slightly out of luck but , according to Forbes , micro businesses have significantly high levels of job satisfaction . A recent pandemic employee engagement survey showed that 71 per cent of employees working for micro businesses felt very excited about their job . Roughly three in four employees felt like their employer cares about them as a person and four in five feel valued for their contributions at work . Employees who take pride in their company perform at a higher level — and small businesses are winning here , too . 92 per cent of the survey ’ s respondents say they are proud to work for their company , and 93 per cent feel their work contributes to the success of the organisation . For employee engagement , small and micro businesses definitely have a lot to offer . In addition to the above , they also seem to offer higher |
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opportunities for hybrid working or at the least have a flexible approach to working hours – which is a definitely an attractive attribute to job seekers at present .
Nonetheless , we can ’ t ignore the fact that attracting future employees in an unstable recruitment market may make hiring in Bath ’ s micro businesses slightly difficult for the foreseeable future . Given the effects of the pandemic , candidates want job security . Larger businesses always have the upper hand with job security as the success of their organisation is visible . This could give larger businesses the edge on securing that top tier talent . However , employee engagement and job satisfaction is definitely a candidate requirement trending post pandemic . The pandemic has given many the opportunity to look at their job satisfaction , structure , career progression and really determine what it is they want from their career . As such , job satisfaction ranks as high as job security . If Bath ’ s micro businesses can highlight the employee engagement and
job satisfaction their organisation offers potential candidates , they have a great opportunity to compete with the larger organisations for that top tier talent .
Whether you are a micro or large business , you are probably feeling the pain of staffing shortages . Candidates are hard to find and it ’ s clear there are talent shortages across the UK . So , what can you , as a business offer , to attract the right candidates for your vacancies ? Ask yourself :
• Do you have capacity to pay more ?
• Can you cover the hours with a part time member of staff ?
• Could you split the job into different skill levels ?
• Do you have flexible working arrangements ?
• Could the role be done remotely to widen your talent pool ?
At CMD Recruitment we are constantly asked to engage with our clients on things further than just recruitment . We offer our clients aspects such as salary benchmarking , employment market
analysis , recruitment insights and skill testing to help outline the employment market and give you genuine advice on how best to secure the right candidates for your business . We pride ourselves in putting the consultant back into Recruitment Consultant .
Consulting on the employment market has never been more crucial as candidates have options when it comes to employment , so your business must stand out from the crowd . Who knows , the employment market may very well change again when furlough ends but if you are looking to recruit , speaking with an expert recruitment consultant can really add value to your business .
Keep up to date on all the latest employment and recruitment market insights by signing up to our news alerts via our website .
For more info : www . cmdrecruitment . com
How to Hybrid
As many businesses look to return to the office and adopt hybrid working models , Interaction ’ s Deborah Wilder offers some insights on how to handle the transition .
Adopting a hybrid working model can be a complex affair . The first step is to decide what your workplace needs to achieve . Are teams struggling to stay motivated remotely ? Do you feel your culture is in danger of being eroded ? Do your employees need to be together to be truly creative ? This is uncharted territory so you shouldn ’ t expect to have all the answers – no-one does - but by embracing a ‘ test and learn ’ approach and grappling with these questions you ’ ll gain insights into how and when to bring people in .
Secondly , the details of the transition need to be considered . Will your space function effortlessly ? Can remote and office-based workers seamlessly join meetings and collaborate ? A robust workplace technology infrastructure , such as desk and meeting room booking systems will be vital in a hybrid working environment with no preassigned desks .
Your communication strategy will also be vital to ensuring all employees feel supported , guided and informed . Remember key information may be shared more easily in the office , so ensure remote staff have equal access to all critical knowledge and platforms . Make all information explicit , transparent and unambiguous .
Lastly , does your space match your working model ? If your office is being used mainly for collaboration , culture-building and meetings , do the available areas facilitate these activities ? Don ’ t forget quiet focus areas as not everyone can or wants to work from home , particularly those starting out on their career journey . Also remember to provide plenty of spaces for Teams or Zoom calls .
At Interaction , we ’ re helping businesses across the South West optimise for hybrid working , from their workspace strategy to creating entirely new workspaces .
Get in touch to find out how to make hybrid work for you . www . interaction . uk . com
Deborah Wilder Deborah . Wilder @ interaction . uk . com Head of Research and Strategy
14 www . tbebathandsomerset . co . uk