Adjusting your business to attract and retain young talent
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Young employees who are entering the labour market are demanding more from employers and their places of work.
There is greater pressure on businesses to think more creatively and adjust to the new expectations of young employees – to initially attract them into the workplace and to then retain them.
Ivan Jepson, director of business development and innovation at Gateshead College, said he had noticed a significant shift in the aspirations of students leaving the college for employment in recent years.
“It’s not just the financial side of things that motivates young people,” he said. “They are looking at the culture and values of a company or organisation. They look at how a company presents itself whether that’s through the imagery on their website and social media or case studies that show how they’re different and what it’s like to work for the organisation.
“Young people are thinking beyond that initial job and role. They want to know how they will be developed and their potential to progress. Work-life balance and mental wellbeing are now big issues among the young, when looking for an employer.
“There is a marked change in their thinking from a decade ago. Young people seem much savvier about who they choose to work for.”
This has become a genuine challenge for many businesses. Employers need to think differently to how they once recruited and retained staff.
With relatively low unemployment there is strong competition to recruit young, ambitious people with the aptitude to develop and acquire skills. Different sectors have their own issues around recruitment and retention, some more acute than others.
The digital sector, for instance, has a big supply problem. The sector simply can’t recruit enough skilled people. Ivan says this is a sector that has had to fundamentally change its approach to employment and work practices to recruit and retain staff. “Digital companies are starting to become more flexible and agile in many areas of operation and looking to explore new ways to recruit and retain talent. Young people don’t necessarily recognise the 9-5 working day or even 5-day working; they want greater flexibility. Their view of the workplace is different to what employers are historically used to,” he said.
“Likewise, many employers are looking for candidates with 2-4 years’ experience. There just aren’t enough people out there with this, around only 10% in the North East in this sector. There are however many talented people willing to move into the sector with some training and encouragement, but relies on organisations to have a fresh look on mandatory asks such as a computer science degree and 2 years experience and swap that for personal attributes and technical ability”
“Manufacturing is different again. Assembly lines and shift systems mean that employees need to be on site and in post. But even here, employers can’t be rigid. Workforce development is required to keep staff skilled as well as motivated.
“The environment is definitely more challenging for employers. The ability to attract and retain staff will be different across sectors but change and the need to be flexible is here to stay.” For more help and information on recruiting and developing staff contact please email [email protected]