What a refreshing interview on WFH with one of the most successful businesses in the world – “The companies with the best talent will usually win. And if you are limiting your talent to a commuting radius, you’re not going to have the best people because the best people will live everywhere”.

We know not all roles within International Transport and Logistics can WFH, however we do know successful companies leading the way in attracting the best talent are being open minded in making this work.

The recruitment landscape has never changed so drastically as it has from pre-COVID to now.

No longer does the employer have the upper hand, it is all about the employee and they know it.

Employee’s want:

1. Flexible work from home options
2. Flexible hours of work when in the office
3. A salary increase
4. Genuine long term career plans  

If you’re not open to negotiating these terms with your employees, they can and will walk away and get them with your competitor.

When it comes to hiring new staff, gone are the days when the employee should just be happy to be offered a full-time job. They now want want want and can get.

Select businesses are at the forefront of these changes and are managing them extremely well while others are stuck in there old ways and are being left behind. 

If you want to continue to grow your business and add new and retain your staff, it is critical that you negotiate with your employees to ensure they stay. You will then see a greater uptake on candidates being attracted to work for your business and ultimately become an employer of choice.

Recruiting new employees in 2022 is tougher than ever before due to a variety of reasons that include the pandemic, closed borders and excessive workloads which have all played their part in creating a talent shortage.

Insync Personnel has never had in its 10 years of business as many job opportunities available for experienced industry candidates as it does right now.

As positive as that sounds from a recruitment perspective, the office environment and employee expectations as we knew it pre-pandemic couldn’t be any more different.

Candidate Driven Market

We’ve all been seeing and hearing about the Great Resignation through the past year, and the flow on effects. The market has seen a shift in power, with more job opportunities than candidates available - tipping the scales in favour of applicants (and they know it). With many employers eager to hire from a smaller pool of talent, demand has driven up the salaries and benefits available to these candidates.

Competing on salaries alone is going to be unsustainable, and this will drive more employers to focus on what value they can truly provide to their employees.

Focus on Employer Branding

In a competitive market, employers need to distinguish themselves from others looking to hire the same talent, and building a strong employer brand is a powerful first step. The focus on employer branding has been going on for some time, however the current talent shortage has increased the need to position yourself as a great place to work. 

With so many options on the table, candidates can be more discerning about who they work for, taking company culture, flexibility, and work-life balance into consideration. Organisations are providing more options to their employees to build stronger employer brands and reduce turnover. In addition, promoting your company mission, values, and a bit of personality can go a long way in attracting the right candidate. 

Hybrid and Remote Working

Another key trend that we’ve seen emerge in the pandemic and expect to continue this year and beyond is the Hybrid and Work from home opportunity. Due to the pandemic, many businesses were forced to close offices. Organisations had to adapt, and thus came the widespread implementation of working from home.

Now that restrictions have eased, and offices reopened, much of the workforce is reluctant to give up the newfound comfort of remote work. As such, many organisations have now developed a hybrid approach, with employees splitting their time between office hours and working from home. International Freight is not an industry known for its’ adaptability when it comes to working from home but if you want to continue to ensure you are choosing from the widest pool of the best talent available in the industry, hybrid work from home options must be a choice.

Hire for Soft Skills

The International Freight & Logistics industry has lost a great amount of knowledge and skills due to the high pressure and unrealistic expectations of work throughout the pandemic. This will need to be re-couped quickly if we don’t want it to get any worse.

Organisations are increasingly needing to hire for soft skills. Hard skills can be taught, but things like effective communication, collaboration, creativity and productivity are harder to change.

Remember that you were given an opportunity once to be trained and supported which has got you to be where you are today!