The back-to-work battle between employer and employee rages quietly on, and recruiters everywhere are trapped somewhere in the middle.
Dismissively named by some as a ‘habit’ from the lockdown era, hybrid working is far from a fleeting phase. In many ways, it’s finally emerging out of infancy, and those that have the right policies in place to support it are reaping its many benefits.
The tech industry is no stranger to remote working, but candidates’ mindsets are changing, and so is their outlook on what work should work like. How can we resolve the friction between the talent and the talent seekers? Who has to budge?
Getting Creative
Much of the world can go remote when it needs to (as plenty of employees found out the hard way back in 2020), yet the corresponding work/life balance benefits were slow to catch up.
While tech candidates still command some of the highest salaries around, attention is starting to shift towards benefit packages that are designed to foster a better working environment.
What on earth do those benefit packages look like? It depends – companies have a real chance to get creative, especially in the remote working space. Remote work for remote working’s sake is no longer enough, companies must account for the practical wants and needs of their employees.
In tech, a sturdy remote work offering backed by an effective set of policies is often a key point of differentiation in the race to hire talent.
Companies could consider:
· Extended lunch breaks for dedicated exercise time
· Pet care
· Extended parental leave
· Comprehensive Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging policies
· Training and upskilling opportunities with the latest tools and systems
The tech skills gap is an incredibly worrying reality for employers on the talent hunt, and developing packages that allow for internal mobility could be a way to start combatting it.
Businesses must make their employer value proposition as attractive as possible if they want to navigate the skills gap, and they’ll likely have a hard time doing if they can’t answer the remote working question.
The tech industry boasts some of the most in-demand jobs around, from network security engineers to data architects, talented professionals have a great deal of choice – what’s to stop them from chasing their dream of remote working elsewhere?
Offering higher wages to compensate might not do the trick either, not when priorities are fixed elsewhere, and not every hiring manager is in a position to make such an offer right now (recession preparation anyone?), but there are alternatives.
We have seen many candidates (particularly on the contract side) willing to switch roles for a shot at working on leading-edge projects, and the appetite for ambitious startups is certainly still there. The fintech space is a good example, as are biotech and green tech. Companies that can sell the notion of a reputable, game-changing project to their prospective candidates could have the upper hand.
A recruiter can bridge the gap and have those difficult remote working conversations, benefitting both employer and candidate alike, and at a time when tech talent needs to be hired on increasingly tight timeframes, outsourcing recruitment could be the difference between success and failure.
A Full Circle?
There is another side to this story… Some tech workers have spent so long out of the office that they’re completely desperate to get back. It’s different horses for different courses, but there is a common thread that runs through every side of the argument – the need for new and effective remote working policies.
Here at Trust in SODA, we understand the nuances of the remote working debate, and we’re well-equipped to find a solution that works for both parties. Our community-led, people-first approach to digital tech staffing is what sets us apart, and it enables us to match the right people with the right opportunities.
Whether you’re hoping to hire or get hired, the team at Trust in SODA would love to hear from you. If you have any questions about our people, processes, or diversity-focused methodology, reach out to us today.
