How Would a Flexible Working Policy Affect Your Recruitment Process?

When recruiting for new positions, it’s important to make sure you are up to date with new processes, and things that could sway your perfect recruit to another business. Flexible working is taking off in all industries, and we’re seeing companies like PwC embrace the new way of working productively. But, will it affect your recruitment?

The answer is yes, no matter what industry you are recruiting for the increased popularity of flexible working will affect how you recruit, and who you recruit. Now, we all know that the job market is changing, and turning more and more candidate driven. This means that as a recruiter or someone working in HR, you are changing the way you recruit anyway, but it’s going to become more and more popular for potential candidates to be interested in whether or not you have a Flexible Working policy, and how it can work for them.

With the introduction of such a policy for your company, it will increase your popularity with current, and potential employees. We have piled together three things that will improve your recruitment process if you introduce Flexible Working to your business.

Improved Retention and Employee Commitment 

On average, retention is improved by 74% when businesses offer flexible working, and employees commitment is improved by 67%. As you know, the happier your employees are, the less you have to recruit!

Flexibility is Diversity

Flexibility in hours and location will allow for a more diverse workforce. By 2030, one in five UK workers will be mums, and 25% of all families will be single parent families. This means that when you’re recruiting, being flexible is the only way you can have the employees you want to hire. The benefits of a diverse workforce also impact your business creatively, with a broader mix of skills and experience to bring more to the table.

Location

You can actually save money having employees ‘hot-desking’. This allows them to work in and out of the office, therefore decreasing your cost per head. On average, the cost per head of an employee in an office is £6,000 p.a. so having workers that aren’t always at the office can only be great for your budget!

In the long run, flexible working can really improve your recruitment process, as well as your business as a whole. Business Secretary Vince Cable has said that flexible working is vital to growth within the UK, and with the demand for it within candidates it’s definitely worth thinking about changing how your business works for the future.