As businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle ongoing skills shortages.

While an increasing number of organisations (54%) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the survey showed that 68% of employers that offer hybrid/remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent.

Allowing people flexibility over the hours they work, and where they work, is increasingly popular. By working flexibly, employees are better able to manage their caring responsibilities, or achieve a better work–life balance. Employers benefit by saving on office space and overheads. Flexible working also allows a better match between business resources and demand, such as serving customers on a 24/7 basis.

Now in its 23rd year, the report surveyed over 1,000 UK-based HR professionals and found that:

• 30% of employers who had recruited in the past 12 months say that advertising roles as ‘open to flexible working’ is amongst their most effective recruitment methods.
• 54% of organisations who have had recruitment difficulties are offering greater work flexibility to address recruitment difficulties.
• 49% of organisations say their use of hybrid/remote working has greatly or somewhat increased, and almost a quarter expect this to increase further in the next 12 months.
• Overall, the report findings show that the world of work has changed forever, and employees increasingly want to work for businesses that provide career development opportunities, have good organisational values and offer flexible working.

The research also notes that, even in the challenging economic context, there are steps businesses can take to entice employees to their organisation, such as offering greater flexible working and career development and emphasising the job security their organisation can provide in difficult times.

Claire McCartney, senior resourcing and inclusion adviser for the CIPD, said:

“Businesses are facing some of the most challenging times imaginable in the coming year, with a cost-of-living crisis and potential recession. It is now more important than ever to be proactive with workforce planning and to develop compelling offerings to attract and retain a diverse group of employees. Employers won’t be able to afford continued pay increases, but they have an array of other options available to them to continue attracting and retaining staff.

“The pandemic showed the positive impact flexible working can have for both employees and organisations and our research continues to show that candidates increasingly look for flexible working during their job hunt. Greater availability of flexible working is usually a low-cost option for employers looking to improve their benefits package, and businesses can also reap the rewards through improved job satisfaction, loyalty and business flexibility. Employers shouldn’t simply focus on pay but look to advertise roles as flexible and offer options for hybrid and remote working, where possible, to strengthen their attraction and retention offering.”

Louise Shaw, Managing Director, Omni RMS said:

“All businesses must plan strategically for attracting, upskilling and retaining their workforce, especially in the face of a skills shortage and cost-of-living crisis. There is a constant battle for top talent, and it’s important that businesses assess what they can realistically offer candidates and what they can improve upon to retain existing employees. Unrealistic salary inflation is not only unsustainable for employers, but will also have limited success long term, with retention rates likely to drop as financially-driven individuals jump ship to gain further pay increases.

“Candidates want more than just good pay and are seeking meaningful jobs that are culturally and personally rewarding. Less forward-thinking organisations find themselves at the mercy of a labour market, the likes of which we haven’t seen before, with competition for skills creating retention pressures that recruitment cannot contend with. The resulting fight for talent is costly and not sustainable, hence organisations need to accelerate their plans towards ‘resourcing maturity’. Businesses that fail to think strategically run the risk of losing out in the competition for talent.”