Evaluating candidates according to their skills and not their CVs is the new consensus.

Everyone agrees that skill-based assessments are the best way to guarantee a qualified and skilled candidate that is more likely to have a better retention rate and suitability for the work environment. That will ultimately become a valuable asset for the company. This type of approach guarantees long-term success for both parties– the employer and the employee and results in tremendous time and cost savings translated into a beneficial relationship with the concept of recruiting. Therefore, those processes should be performed in a well thought out and clever manner. 

With the enormous progress in innovation, how can we move forward from asking people about their needs to assessing them even before applying for the job? 

Where can a candidate display their skills and show what they truly are worth in today’s recruiting platform?

So what are those elusive skills that we fail to identify through hundreds of thousands of CVs? How can we differentiate between the candidates that seem good on paper and those that can do the job? In a world that is used to seeing new hires through their CVs and cover letters alone, constantly mounting with irrelevant information, inevitably building discriminative stereotypes and misconceptions, it is easy to miss out on the right person. The existing sourcing tools are old school, and accordingly, HR teams realize that skills-based screening is the way to go. 

The high-tech world learned asking about skills is not enough and developed performance evaluations tests to help identify the right candidate. They have much higher salaries and greater resources when sorting through new candidates, and can afford performance-based evaluations in various areas. While it sounds promising, these evaluations are performed only after the candidate sends over their CV and interviews, which means they didn’t rectify the current sourcing method. They use the old ways and add more tests along the road, eventually selecting from the same tall pile of candidates. 

Another platform we recently started seeing many skills questionnaires appearing on is the various social media channels. It might seem like a way to address larger audiences, but it doesn’t reflect any qualifications because people can list anything they want about themselves. It makes those questionnaires more a test about a candidate’s judgment rather than their abilities. They think about what their potential employers want to hear and act the part. To get that specific job, there is still a long way to go. 

To shift the perspective from CVs to skills, an employer looks at a list of a candidate’s skills and still learns very little. It goes without saying that a candidate’s background and advantages will help them do their job, but those attributes can shine during an interview. The bottom line, is all of those skills sourcing solutions are just too little, too late. HR teams know that the current process is not enough, but they don’t have the proper solution yet. And the issues begin from the get-go. When the initial screening process is far from objective or efficient, all those add-ons will never be good enough. 

Rethinking the whole process makes you realize one vital thing– altering the current funnel is inevitable. If you want to hire someone for a job, let them try and do the job first. There is no clearer picture than the complete picture when a candidate tries out the job, feels the environment, and can function and perform their skills in the most objective manner. Both the candidate and employer will quickly know if the job is theirs to have or not. And, of course, the candidate’s chances of sticking with the company are increasing significantly. 

When introducing cutting-edge AI tools to the process, the advantages of skills sourcing will not get lost into another pile. AI, incorporated with accumulated HR knowledge and advanced technology, gives us the chance to deliver a performance-based evaluation for a specific job. And that is what matters. Since every job requires a different set of various skills, the crucial thing to know before hiring someone is how they perform within desired skills. It is not only if they hold those particular skills but realizing how those skills manifest. And that is the latest message in sourcing: Instead of being only skills-based, it is about performance-based sourcing. 

HR industry with AI technology

Think of the countless opportunities created when combining years of professional experience in the HR industry with AI technology. The novel solution born out of this combination takes skills and performance assessment to the next level. Tailoring performance evaluations for specific jobs using the technology is easier, faster and more fitting to each company’s needs. The skills evaluated with AI can immediately affect a candidate’s performance and abilities, reflecting multiple virtues of their expertise. 

Another considerable advantage of AI-based skills assessment is its objectivity. When the technology is structured to look for particular features, it is blind to others. It ignores color, race, gender, age, experience and any disability or irrelevant limitation. This blindness ultimately creates a much more diverse and inclusive workplace. It can also help in one of the most common phenomena of Covid-19: job mobility. Using an intelligent skills-based test, candidates can realize that they fit into positions they think they cannot do because of a lack of experience. A performance assessment could open a window in new hiring options for those individuals according to their vetted qualifications. 

The story of screening is the story of hiring.

The approach towards screening is shifting from the information a candidate testifies about themselves to their actual performance. The new strategy calls for new solutions that will help HR move forward to the next step, creating an efficient win-win platform where candidates and employers take control over the process. Harnessing AI technology brings the advantages of performance testing to the front seat with every single candidate, every position and every company out there.

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Is the Driver Shortage About to Ease as Transport & Logistics Applications Rise?

We’ve all seen the headlines proclaiming that Christmas will be ruined yet again this year — but this time not because we’re in the middle of a pandemic. The fate of Christmas 2021 apparently lies in the hands of HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) drivers, of which the Road Haulage Association estimates there is a shortage of up to 100,000. 

Because of this shortage, supermarkets and retail stores are experiencing supply issues. Physicians, too, are reporting delays to flu vaccines and blood test tubes vials arriving at their surgeries. However, WaveTrackR data has shown that in August, applications within the Transport & Logistics sector increased for the first time since April. Could the rise in jobs, widely publicized increased salaries and sign-on bonuses be taking affect?

Supply Chain Worries

IKEA has become the latest retail giant — joining Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland and toy retailer The Entertainer (alongside many more) — to warn driver shortages are causing product shortages and could increase prices. Morrisons has said that it expects prices to rise over the course of the rest of the year as a result of the shortage. 

Most consumers have seen gaps on supermarket shelves or a series of substitutions on their shopping delivery. In August, Logistics UK and the British Retail Consortium jointly wrote to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, warning that action needs to be taken or the impact on supply chains will only worsen, especially as Christmas — the busiest period in the retail and logistics year — approaches. From September onwards, retailers will be stock building in preparation for the Christmas period, so a strong supply chain is essential.

Historic Driver Shortages

Some in the industry have been warning of driver shortages for years, given the majority of the workforce is made up of older workers (the average age of HGV drivers in the UK is 55) and there has been a lack of younger workers wanting to join the industry. The estimated shortage pre-COVID was around 60,000 drivers. Then came the double whammy of a pandemic, which paused HGV driver training and testing for 12 months, and Brexit, which led to thousands of EU drivers leaving the UK (an estimated 25,000 EU drivers returned home during the pandemic and following the end of the Brexit transition period; the ONS Labour Force Survey found that only approximately 600 EU lorry drivers had returned to the UK by July 2021). 

It’s unsurprising we are left with a driver shortage. High training costs have been a deterrent and a change to IR35 tax, meaning that agency workers have had to pay more tax and agencies need to pay National Insurance contributions, haven’t helped. Rod McKenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs at the Road Haulage Association, has said the industry is losing more lorry drivers weekly.

Could the Tide be Turning for Applications?

WaveTrackR data has been confirming the shortages trend through a downwards trajectory for job applications in the sector. The data reveals that the average applications per job in Transport & Logistics fell each month from March to June. That led to the sector experiencing among the lowest applications per job across all industries. 

However, the tide finally seems to be turning as that number has been rising since July, concurrent with the general rise in applications for roles in the industry over July and August. This has culminated in the highest level of applications being received all year in August. Why? Perhaps salary increases, which WaveTrackR has logged as solidly increasing between Quarter 2 and Quarter 3, and golden hellos have impacted the rise in applications. Alternatively, maybe the backlog of driver training, tests and licenses being issued starting to clear means that a drip feed of new candidates are now entering the market. Whatever the reasons, the data is encouraging.     

How the Shortage can Continue to be Tackled

Both retail and transport lobby groups have called on the government to take action in a number of ways to address the current driver shortage. Streamlining the HGV driving test system to increase the number of tests available is seen as crucial, and the government has responded by announcing the test for both an articulated and a rigid lorry will now be combined. This should result in a faster testing system, increasing the availability of tests. The groups have also suggested that funding for driver training be made more accessible by adding it to the National Skills Fund and allowing trainee drivers on the Apprenticeship Levy to drive as soon as possible into the program.

What industry bodies really want — but what the government is so far resisting — is for HGV drivers to be added to the Home Office Shortage Occupation list, which would allow European drivers short-term visas. The latter would be a sensible short-term solution while license backlogs are cleared and new drivers are trained. It has also been suggested that HGV drivers should be added as a standard occupational code for the skilled worker visa. There aren’t many that would deny HGV drivers aren’t highly skilled. What does seem to be a common consensus is that the rules limiting driving hours being relaxed are a hastily made, unsafe measure.

How Can We Encourage Younger Workers into the Industry?

Part of the reason for a shortage of drivers is the stigma of unsociable hours, poor standards when parking overnight and average pay. The latter is being rectified, with big names such as Tesco and John Lewis offering substantial financial incentives to new drivers, though this is unlikely to be sustained in the long term. 

What is really needed is funding for training (which is in the thousands of pounds) to increase the number of available drivers that can be hired. In terms of poor working conditions, the government has pledged to work alongside the industry to improve lorry park standards by ensuring basics such as access to a toilet, hand washing facilities, a hot shower and food are available, as well as increasing official parking spaces for lorry drivers. There have also been recent moves by the industry to pay attention to the mental health of drivers who are on the road by themselves for days at a time.

A rise in applications within the Logistics & Transport industry in August is good news but a shortage of 100,000 drivers will take time to resolve. The government sticking to its word about speeding up the testing process will certainly help. Allowing temporary visas to EU drivers would be an ideal solution in the short term as the backlog begins to clear — we wait to see whether the government U-turns on that. 

Long term, there needs to be a drive to encourage a greater number of younger workers to join the profession. HGV drivers were part of the backbone that held up the UK during the pandemic and the current fallout from the shortages proves just how much we all rely on them to keep the nation going. It’s a skilled profession that should be recognized as such — something that would go a long way to boosting the recruitment drive.

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A Comprehensive Rundown of the Remote Future of Work – and How to Retain Your Talent

It’s no secret that the workforce is changing quickly. The traditional office space has been replaced by a mix of remote work and on-site collaboration with more companies moving towards this remote model every day. The trend isn’t just about saving money — it’s about attracting talent in an increasingly competitive global market for top performers.

To fully attract and retain talent effectively, it’s important to examine the remote workplace trends that happen today and adjust your HR team accordingly.

Remote and Hybrid Working Environments — The New Norm

All-remote and hybrid working environments are becoming the new normal for businesses. It’s no longer a question of whether you should allow your employees to work remotely, but how to implement it successfully. For organizations still adjusting to the pandemic, sustaining an all-remote workforce continues to pose challenges that can impact the structure and performance of your company.

The ultimate goal for most businesses is to enable employees to get their work done without jeopardizing the business’s success, no matter where they are or what time zone they’re in. However, several vital challenges can arise when establishing an effective remote working environment.

This includes productivity loss due to lack of communication tools, poor management, and burnout with little flexibility. For all-remote companies to survive and thrive, it takes dedicated commitment from team members across all departments.

Heavy Reliance on Video Conferencing Technology

As the popularity of remote working arrangements continues to grow, remote technology improves as a result. Most companies now rely heavily on video conferencing technology, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Video conferencing allows employees to communicate in a more personal and productive way. It also allows companies to connect with talent across the country, or to potential employees who may otherwise be unavailable due to their geographic location. As part of the remote work package, companies are increasingly offering video conferencing equipment and software licenses so that workers can stay connected from wherever they choose to work.

From now on, video conferencing technology will continue to play a significant role in enabling companies and workers alike.

New Initiatives to Drive Employee Engagement and Retention

As modern workplaces adapt their strategies to building better-performing teams while reducing turnover, new initiatives are being implemented to keep remote workers engaged and happy. Below we’ll address a few of these initiatives:

Offering company-wide support for wellness programs and services

Offering a company-wide support program can be a way to show employees that you care about their wellbeing. By providing both physical and mental support, companies create an environment where remote workers feel supported in all areas of life. Another way to support wellness is offering gym memberships, fitness classes, or catering healthy food delivery options.

Offering incentives for employees who want more flexible hours

Remote working arrangements give organizations the ability to offer additional flexibility to their employees. One way to take advantage of this flexibility is by providing incentives. This could be in the form of more vacation time, a flexible office location, or a cash bonus for working from home and managing employee work expenses.

Encouraging remote workers to attend company events and meet-ups

Even if your employees work remotely, it can be beneficial to join in on company meetings or conferences. These virtual opportunities allow employees the chance to connect with their colleagues on a deeper level. To facilitate these connections, companies are now offering programs to cover travel costs so that all employees have an equal opportunity to participate in group activities together.

Offering training and professional development opportunities

Remote work makes it easier to hire people with niche skillsets who may not have been available locally. This allows companies to cultivate these unique skills further by offering additional learning resources such as online courses, seminars, tutorials, etc.

These initiatives can help employees feel like their organization cares enough to assist in their growth while also adding value to the business. When employees are supported emotionally and professionally, they tend to stay much longer because they care deeply about being part of your team’s success.

In Summary

The future of work will likely be increasingly remote. To prepare for this, companies need to invest in digital tools and technology to have a flexible workforce. They also should look for opportunities to provide professional and mental health support to all employees as they can continue to work in isolated settings. By doing this, companies can retain their talent while also positioning their company for scale.

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Job vacancies are higher than they have been in decades, and people are moving jobs at an unprecedented rate. It turns out it’s the tip of the iceberg: in addition to losing good people, businesses are now losing the people responsible for recruiting and hiring people.

This includes senior talent-focused roles including Heads of Talent, Employer Brand leaders and CHROs — we’ve seen them turning down roles at tier-one global companies because they are being offered more money and better benefits elsewhere — faster!

Many are also moving on because their teams are quitting, and they don’t feel they have the support they need. The talent acquisition retention problem is real: if you can’t retain the people who source your talent, how can your business continue to recruit?

1. Make Time for Talent Mapping

Planning for future hires so that talent acquisition teams do not become overwhelmed is key. Let’s face it: it’s easy for talent acquisition teams to become overwhelmed. Advertising vacancies, sourcing candidates, taking the time out to screen or interview and even negotiating salaries — recruitment (done right) can be incredibly time-consuming.

Not to mention the ongoing issue of candidates ghosting recruiters or not even showing up after they have accepted an offer.

This is where talent mapping may help.

Many businesses use talent mapping to plan for short, medium and long-term hiring goals. In advance of live vacancies, by talent mapping, recruiters scour the market to identify the top talent in a given field.

Talent mapping helps to ensure that emergency hiring situations don’t leave companies powerless, waiting and hoping for the right candidates to apply. Chances are, when a company utilizes talent mapping, it has already identified a pool of candidates ready to go straight to interview.

The process also creates a reference for the internal talent you have, and the talent you are likely to need. By mapping the company structure, you can then identify the talent gaps you will eventually need to fill.

Talent mapping can also help support internal mobility with the current workforce. This research can highlight the areas companies can invest in training the team members who could eventually fill open roles and help support your TA team and drive retention. Identifying potential in the workplace and investing in career development, in turn, promotes employee engagement and positive company culture.

2. Reputation is Everything: Employer Brands Must Reflect a Good Candidate and Employee Experience

A good employer brand will attract the right candidates, but gaining a reputation for providing a poor candidate experience is likely to make life extremely difficult for your talent team.

When it comes to their experiences of applying for roles, people are likely to share freely, and this also includes online reviews. If talent finds your application process too long, complex or you don’t communicate well with candidates, then your employer brand reputation could be on the line. The same goes for your employees: they will also share their experiences, especially when the reality of working for a company is entirely different to the employer brand it presents to the outside world.

All of this together can impact the day-to-day success of your talent team, and over time could contribute to talent team career fatigue and retention problems.

A last note on employer planning and your talent team: all too often, employer branding doesn’t take into account all roles, including HR and talent acquisition functions. It’s important to look at what is important to these roles and to segment your messaging in favor of this. For example, in a fast-moving technology startup, talent acquisition specialists may get a unique opportunity to set up a one-of-a-kind tech team that disrupts the industry quickly.

If you want to build a business growth machine, you need to ensure the employer brand also appeals to the talent team. In the past, marketing teams have had the bandwidth to support EVP work, but they are stretched to the brink as well right now.

3. Consider Alternative Sourcing Models

When I speak to talent acquisition leaders, one of the top issues that come up is the lack of clarity surrounding resources. Overpromising resources only to have them never materialize is unfortunately quite commonplace, and all too soon talent leaders can feel isolated and overworked because they’re being spread too thin. Even the best-intended organizations are struggling with hiring recruiters and keeping the teams to support TA leaders.

There are tech leaders who’ve been told they can’t use agencies but need to get hundreds of people hired in complex roles before their Employer Value Proposition even exists. There are talent managers trying to source highly technical roles without enough information surrounding the skill set, all the while fighting for budget to meet their targets. There are HR teams that simply don’t have the time and expertise to get into sourcing, but often feel they don’t have the choice. There are also HR teams that want to build a relevant EVP, but don’t have marketing partner bandwidth.

Resources are often lacking, and outsourcing may be a big help.

Some organizations have been nervous about outsourcing and have been sitting on budget, waiting for the new year to spend it. It’s safe to say that the time is here to spend that budget to address attrition and compete in today’s truly complex hiring landscape.

An experienced Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider can offer expertise in recruiting highly sought-after roles, giving your in-house team assistance and support when they most need it. Today, RPO providers work in strategic, flexible partnerships with companies, becoming a seamless and flexible extension of your hiring team which can ebb and flow with demand.

Taking on a little support is not admitting defeat: it’s simply recognizing that today, talent acquisition has become much more difficult and much more time-consuming than ever before. In the race to become more strategic and more efficient with your resources, a bit of RPO may be just what is needed to make in-house teams feel supported and to master talent team retention.

Your leaders will appreciate your business acumen and your in-house teams will welcome the help.

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Whether you’re recruiting for 1,000 positions or just for 10, there are some great lessons to be learned from the world of “high volume” hiring that can be applied to a search for any number of candidates.

High volume hiring—defined as needing 1,000 hires or receiving more than 1,000 applications per position—is most common in the restaurant, retail, delivery, and manufacturing industries. However, even the “traditional” recruiter, focused on knowledge worker roles, are facing unique challenges. Recruiters of all kinds can feel the frustration of too few candidates or losing out on the best candidates.

Is There a Labor Shortage—or a Speed Shortage?

According to a recent report from human capital management research and advisory firm Aptitude Research, which surveyed 420 recruiting employees at the talent acquisition director level and above, if the application process takes longer than 30 minutes, nearly half the job candidates give up, leaving recruiters without enough candidates to fill the jobs.

You can improve the drop-off rate by first understanding why candidates are not moving forward. Think of your application as a “shopping cart” and take steps to guide candidates toward a successful “check-out.”

Is Your Application Mobile-Friendly?

Evaluate the mobile-friendliness of your current hiring process, and if it can’t be done on a mobile phone, consider making some changes. Are you asking candidates to sit at a computer or laptop to fill out the application? A mobile-friendly strategy meets candidates where they are, whether that’s on the bus on their way to work, on the couch after completing a late-night shift, or in their car during their lunch break.

Be Quick To Follow Up!

When asked about the most annoying part of the application process, many job seekers complain about a lack of follow-up. Remember that most applicants are applying for multiple jobs so if they’re left wondering if they’ll make it to the next step, there’s a good chance they’ll quickly move on to something else.

Make Sms Your Primary Form of Communication

While email adds a sense of formality to the interview process, SMS is quickly becoming a more effective way to interact with candidates.

The average office worker gets over 100 emails a day with about a 20% open rate. Text messages, however, have an average open rate of 98%. Recruiters should strive for at least five candidate touchpoints within the first 48 hours in order to keep candidates fully engaged.  It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to fully capture candidates’ attention unless you are communicating with them via text.

Lights, Camera…Action!

One-way video interviews (or on-demand video interviews) can be a great way to shorten the time-to-hire. You set pre-selected interview questions, then candidates record their responses and send them back for the hiring team to review. This reduces the amount of travel involved with face-to-face interviews and, in the race to secure candidates, saves you a lot of time.

Remember, “Speed Defines Success”

The pressure recruiters face to secure talent is enormous and will most likely stay that way for a long time to come. Simplify, optimize, and automate as much of the candidate journey as possible to decrease time-to-hire and you’ll speed your company toward success.

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News from the world of digital hiring solutions: Outmatch has rebranded to Harver, while Wedge launched the Wedge Hire mobile app and several new product features.

Outmatch acquired Harver in May. At the time, the company said Harver’s platform complemented the assessment, video interviewing and reference-checking capabilities of its Hiring Experience Stack. The combination, Outmatch said, would allow employers to make more informed, more efficient hires.

Now the company is melding its platform with Harver’s, as well as taking its name. By combining the capabilities of both Outmatch and Harver, the company will create a single purpose-built solution to solve volume hiring challenges organizations face today.

“Outmatch’s extensive science and product capabilities, combined with Harver’s dedicated volume hiring solutions, have already proven to be a truly winning combination,” said Jim Trimarco, Harver’s chief revenue officer. “[t]ogether we can now provide a full-service solution that helps organizations not only overcome the challenges they face today, but also thrive in the years to come.”

Under the Harver brand, the combined organization will continue to bring innovative solutions to the market in order to aid employers faced with high-volume hiring situations. Harver’s approach focuses on transforming the hiring process in four domains: matching, automation, candidate experience and business intelligence. The approach, the companies said, decrease the time it takes to process candidates and offer them a quick and engaging application experience at scale.

New App, New Features

Meanwhile, the video recruiting platform Wedge released the Wedge Hire mobile app along with six new product features. They include:

Custom Video Questions: Recruiters can record and upload videos to use as questions during an interview.
Intros and Outros: Without requiring a response, these videos allow the company to greet their candidates, offer an introduction or thank you, and share next steps.
Notification Preferences: Provides all Wedge account holders with the option to choose which notifications they receive based on specific jobs and users.
Customized Invite Emails: New editing functionality helps tailor it invite emails by job or candidate.
Customized Prep Time: Changes how long candidates get to prepare for each question.
Company Branding: Adds the hiring company’s logo to each step of the interview.

In September, Wedge launched an add-on application within the isolved Integration Marketplace. With it, Wedge brings video interviewing functionality to isolved People Cloud.

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All the staff at 1st Select Ltd can see the advantage of becoming BIOR certified and the knowledge it has given us on several important topics as well as showing external consultants that 1st Select work in the correct and ethical way. In simple terms the BIOR Certification gives us a more respected name in the industry and it increases our professional reputation.

Jamie Lee

The BIOR ‘Recruitment Business Partner’ Certification Scheme was created with kind input from all 3 of the UK’s enforcement bodies responsible for state enforcement of specific employment rights – EAS, HMRC NMW/NLW team & GLAA.

It is a simple and effective scheme demonstrating to clients your recruitment knowledge and compliant recruitment processes.

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Before the Great Resignation became the most repeated phrase of 2021, PandoLogic sought to understand what was happening with today’s candidates. Partnering with Parsons Strategic Consulting, we developed the first-ever Voice of the Candidate study to find what the candidate experience looks like from the job seeker’s point of view.

Conducted via social listening, our initial research examined more than 68 billion public conversations about the recruiting process, including optimized searches around working, applying, interviewing and onboarding, then analyzed for top-mentioned emotions and sentiment.

Call us clairvoyant, but we had a feeling there was more going on than most employers realized – and it turns out, we were right. The first iteration was published in Q2, 2021, and found that employers weren’t listening to candidates, and as a result, both sides were speaking entirely different languages. Recognizing that this wasn’t a one-and-done type of study, we repeated the research in Q3, 2021, and frankly put, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

Rising Temperatures

The temperature of the candidate experience conversation is rising – and with it, so is their dissatisfaction with the recruiting process. Candidates aren’t happy, and they’re talking about it. Noting an 18 percent increase in job search conversations, PandoLogic observed a 60 percent jump in candidate passion intensity and a 45 percent decrease in overall candidate sentiment. In addition, this audience is having more love-hate conversations, skewing negatively, indicating that anger is on the rise.

But why?

For one thing, the conversation is ongoing, ebbing and flowing along with hiring trends. In Q3 of this year, we saw the Great Resignation become part of an everyday narrative, as businesses across industries cited massive labor shortages. Additional discussion has led to more voices and opinions, influencing the sentiment and passion intensity metrics we captured. Drilling down into the data, it’s clear that the application and rejection stages play a big part in what we’re seeing. Even so, these are representative of more significant changes taking place.

Drivers and Drainers

So, what’s behind the shift? For starters, there is the prolonged impact of the pandemic, specifically on women. The Q3 findings show inequity in the conversation, with men accounting for 55 percent and women only 45 percent. However, when the word “quit” was included, the results evened out to 50-50.

That means men and women are talking about quitting their jobs in equal numbers, though fewer women are talking about searching for jobs. At the 2021 HR Technology Conference, keynote speaker Abby Wambach reminded the audience that if women were paid as much as men, they might not be forced to leave the workforce and never return. Validating Wambach’s thinking further is the 58 percent of men talking about starting their new jobs versus 42 percent of women.

Running alongside the gender disparity is rejection. Yes, rejection is part of life and part of the job search, but it’s rapidly become a huge part of the candidate experience conversation. In the Q2 report, we noted that rejection had a stronger than anticipated sentiment around it. The drop came in Q3, with that sentiment plummeting from 27 to -60. Possible factors include expiring unemployment benefits and various moratoriums coupled with rejection’s emotional toll on active candidates. As the study offers, “Never forget that 100 percent of the time, a job posting ends in rejection for 99 percent of the candidates.”

Changing the Conversation

By understanding the candidate conversation and the underlying factors influencing their attitudes and behaviors, employers have the ability to enter the chat and help educate job seekers. There are a few simple ways to do that, like including more details about compensation and benefits as well as shift information, regardless of industry or role.

For instance, while it’s well documented that remote work is on the rise, the impact remote work has on the length of the workweek is less known. Data from Microsoft suggests that since its move to company-wide remote work, its working week has extended by around 10 percent. Likewise, our Q3 report found a severe drop in conversations around the job offer, down 40 percent, and starting a new job, down 41 percent.

That decrease seems to reflect hesitation or ambivalence on the part of job seekers, who may feel uninspired or unexcited by their new opportunities – especially if it means going back to the office. Overall, employers need to explain what to expect and what’s expected upfront – and inject some joy into the process.

When we talk about the candidate experience, we tend to throw around the word “communication.” But communication isn’t a one-way street, and if we’re serious about improving recruiting outcomes, it’s time we start listening, too. Your candidates are talking.

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Have you attended a meeting to discuss a workplace issue on a challenging topic? Perhaps you need to evaluate an employee’s poor performance? Or the company’s inability to give yearly bonuses?

Did everyone involved feel empowered to speak up and share their feelings and opinions Unfortunately, the answer to this is usually, yes, you’ve been to these meetings, but no, not everyone felt like they could speak up.

Typically these tough conversations arise when one party needs something from the other, such as the opportunity to share less than positive feedback or an employee to produce better results, etc. 

Furthermore, when conflict arises, it can be difficult for the facilitator to consider all perspectives. When faced with these situations, ill-thought-out statements are often made, creating broken, distrustful relationships. In turn, we’re conditioned to avoid candid conversations.

Conversation Design

HR departments must encourage open, honest and inclusive conversations regularly, not only when an issue or sensitive topic arises. The goal is to achieve the best outcomes for all parties involved, not only those who called the meeting. Additionally, by changing the stigma away from being a “tough” conversation and instead focusing on the potential, mutually beneficial outcome, these discussions will become easier and more enjoyable experiences.

A newer design principle, conversation design, builds discussions based on natural, human conversations. It focuses on a logical flow while meeting the needs of the people involved.

In a workplace setting, we typically think an HR leader with sophisticated tools at their disposal must be present in all more challenging discussions. In reality, when armed with the right approach, anyone at any level can facilitate such a discussion. In this case, HR professionals, managers and team leaders design talk tracks to engage current and future employees.

Successful conversation maps draw on art, science and rounds of tests and practices. To foster a workplace encouraging critical conversations, consider these tips for engaging dialogue across your organization.

Understand the Reason for the Conversation

Studies show lack of open communication and support in a manager/employee relationship fosters a toxic culture, causing employees to seek new opportunities.

Before designing a conversation, establish the importance of having it in the first place. A primary reason is to remove awkwardness surrounding tough topics and encourage open dialogue, especially in settings where we want to be professional and never too emotional.

Chances are, if something requires this type of conversation, it may be uncomfortable. What central tension does the issue hold? What are the unavoidable topics? What shared truth do all parties need to take away from it? Address the discomfort head-on to make the conversation as productive as possible.

Conversations Are a Journey, Not a One-and-Done

We’re all guilty of exchanging feedback and thinking, ‘phew, glad that’s over.’ We need to do away with this mindset. Conversations must be a journey, not a one-time occurrence that we get over with and move on.

Success, a consensus, or a plan of action seldom comes from a single discussion. Instead, it is a journey requiring everyone’s involvement, personal reflection, and mutual respect. Staying on course and not giving up requires time and effort, the place where many of us get stuck.

Engagement platforms for in-person and virtual conversations empower participants in a journey of self-discovery through questions gauging current experiences. There are no right or wrong answers, only sharing feelings, thoughts and experiences. Such an approach leverages Marshal Ganz’s community organizing principles.

The story of self: Ask a question evoking a personal story. Establish shared empathy and a basis of trust before moving on to deeper challenges.
The story of us: This question identifies a shared struggle, pointing out the tension and connecting participants to the overarching challenge.
The story of now: These questions spark a sense of urgency and action. They shift participants away from the negative mindset and toward the cultivation of empowerment by encouraging personal responsibility.

This proven structure encourages managers and employees alike to look below the surface to find the root of an issue. It creates an environment where people feel heard, cared about and inclined to pursue positive change.

How to Design the Conversations

The possibilities appear endless when it comes to developing the meaningful discussions themselves. However, don’t view this as overwhelming, instead focus on the potential it allows. Look to influence the structure of the conversation with design rather than force of will. This design skill to create conversations isn’t reliant on interpersonal skills but on identifying an opportunity to shape the outcome and impact.

Don’t feel the need to develop an entire conversation, instead focus on building the right questions following the above three-step process. These questions set the stage for provocative, open discussions. The magic of an impactful conversation comes from releasing complete control over the direction.

When in doubt, three basic guidelines keep conversations more equitable without causing worry about the direction they may take.

Set the ground rules: What is off-limits? Hateful speech, “you” statements, etc.
Encourage all parties to participate: A fruitful discussion requires participants on both sides to engage.
Keep groups small enough to feel heard and large enough to gather diverse perspectives: Especially in conversations focused on feedback; the fewer voices in the room, the more comfortable others will be to share and not feel ganged upon.

What Else To Keep In Mind

At this point, you might think, “easier said than done,” but in actuality, the concept of conversation design is a culmination of skills that have been around for quite some time. And abilities most of us have, especially in an HR, manager or leader role. A couple of final tips for setting you up for success:

Know your audience: Who needs to be involved in the conversation? What assumptions will people have coming into this conversation? For example, if they’ve made a few mistakes recently, they may come with a hesitant or defensive attitude. What perspectives and voices must you include? In the same example, starting with an employee and a manager may be best — no need to further involve additional people, especially in an initial discussion.
Bridge the expectation gap: As the facilitator, you’ll enter a conversation with different expectations than your participants. Don’t position topics where you’re the expert, and you’ll know the participants will feel ill-prepared to speak about them. Phrase questions in an encouraging tone, allowing people to speak from lived experiences. Develop prompts for each question to provide a little more context before jumping right in to answer. Avoid fact-based questions, as they’ll shift the vibe from heart to mind.

At the end of the day, employees, managers, leaders and recruits all want to feel heard. If you’ve made an open, honest and judgment-free zone for people to share their stories, you’ve created an impactful conversation. In turn, this establishes a more inclusive culture, something people constantly look for in the workplace.

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Salary sacrifice schemes are becoming increasingly
popular for both employers and employees. It is simply a way for employers to
offer more benefits to their staff. However, it is entirely up to the
employees; they can choose whether or not to take them up on their offer. Read
on for your guide to salary sacrifice schemes.

What is a Salary Sacrifice?

A salary sacrifice scheme is exactly as it sounds.
It is an agreement between employer and employee; the employee agrees to give up a portion of their salary each month to
access some more benefits. Sacrificing part of your pay each month can be a
sound financial decision, despite initially being met with scepticism. Salary
sacrifice options vary between employers as they have to choose to opt into a
scheme, so be sure to check with your bosses what schemes they offer, if any.

How Does it Work?

In return for a small percentage of their salary,
an employee is provided with a non-cash benefit. If an employee decides to
enter into a salary sacrifice scheme, then because their overall pay will be
lower going forward, they often have to pay less tax and national insurance.
Employers also pay less national insurance on your behalf too; these savings
may or may not be passed back to the employees. It is up to the discretion of
the employers.

Factors to Consider Before Taking a Salary
Sacrifice

As mentioned above, agreeing to a salary sacrifice
lowers an employee’s earnings, affecting their entitlement when it comes to
paid leave or even affecting things like mortgage applications. In addition, it can also affect pension contributions or state benefits for the employees. Therefore, it does come down to
the employer to be transparent on how a salary sacrifice can impact other
aspects of their working life; however, employees also need to do their due
diligence when to comes to educating themselves.

Examples of Salary Sacrifice Schemes

The types of salary sacrifice schemes that
employers offer are sometimes self-serving. It is all about making it easier
for an employee to do their job. For example, company cars are a popular salary
sacrifice scheme; an employer who wants to offer this should look up Pink Salary Exchange; they are the leading car salary sacrifice scheme in the UK. Childcare
vouchers, cycle to work schemes, parking spaces, additional pension
contributions, or work-related training schemes are also common salary
sacrifice schemes. 

Considerations

While entering into a salary sacrifice is a choice,
and it goes towards something that you want, there are some things to bear in
mind. Firstly, as mentioned above, it can affect an employee’s entitlements
when it comes to things like maternity, paternity, or sick pay. Although you
may also be able to claim more tax credits. Depending on the policies of the
employer, salary sacrifices can also affect bonuses, pay rises and pension
contributions. Finally, it is not a realistic option for those on low incomes
either, as it could bring their salary below the national minimum wage.

In Conclusion

Salary sacrifice schemes can be incredibly useful
both to employers and employees. In most scenarios, it is a win-win. However,
it is recommended that anyone looking to enter into or implement one of these
schemes, as the case may be, should do their research beforehand to work out
whether it is a good option for them financially.

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