Presidents Column

In my first President’s Column back in early 2021, I commented on how our people are our single most important resource in our businesses. This has never resonated more so than right now, when we find ourselves in a hugely competitive labour market. Amidst the economic bounceback as Covid-19 restrictions were eased, long term challenges around an underinvestment in careers advice and the “skills gap” in the UK have combined with short term shocks such as Brexit and the global pandemic, resulting in the number of vacancies far outstripping the supply of eligible candidates. For many businesses struggling to recruit, there has been real concern about having the resource to deliver their product or service to expectant customers.

It is at times like this that we must adopt different approaches to the status quo and not hope against hope that the right candidate will simply “turn up”. More and more firms are looking at the human resource that they already have and are realising that by unlocking its potential they can answer their recruitment prayers. By re-training and upskilling committed members of the team you can not only resolve short term issues but, also start to effectively address longer term questions around workforce and succession planning. Away from the technical skills and qualifications required to do specific positions that are in short supply, many employers complain about a deficiency in the softer skills of the individuals that they do interview… the personal and cultural fit of someone to your business. How powerful it could be if we already have people within our business, living and breathing our values, who we look to develop, grow and promote. Exactly how you decide to approach the training and development of your team tracks all the way back to properly understanding what it is that you feel your business is lacking in terms of resource. It is far too easy to dust off an old job spec and think “we need another one of them” - by analysing where the gaps are you open up the possibilities of moving people around and/ or identifying those that would be able to fill those spaces with the right support. Once you have done this, you may indeed find you still need to recruit, but for a wholly different, and possibly easier to fill position.

Finally, it is important to note that if you do decide to go down this route the added bonus is that by investing in your people, you can boost engagement and retention and become a more attractive proposition when recruiting for those positions that you simply have to recruit for externally. Training existing staff is by no means a silver bullet for all your recruitment needs, but a business that works to enhance personal and career development opportunities, that actively gives to employees rather than just takes, is one that stands out in the uber-competitive labour market that I have already mentioned.