What matters most to candidates is changing. With a predicted massive employee exodus this summer, it’s more important than ever to understand this shift.
Remote work, which consistently ranked as the most-searched top benefit or perk throughout Q1, Q2 and Q3 in 2020, was absent from the top 10 come Q4, according to Built In’s 2021 Candidate Insights Report.
Why?
Because by the end of 2020, remote work evolved from a nice-to-have to the expectation. No longer was remote work considered a benefit, but rather an assumed way of working.
In place of remote options, DEI initiatives, specifically, “diversity hiring practices” became the most-searched benefit in Q4. Furthermore, more than 78 percent of job seekers marked DEI initiatives as “very important” when considering new roles, and when researching job opportunities, 60 percent sought out information about an employer’s diversity stats.
To avoid this summer’s “turnover tsunami,” check out how your company can address the workforce’s current remote work and DEI demands by downloading our most recent webinar, “Understanding Candidate Insights to Attract Talent.”
Here’s a taste of what you can learn from this esteemed panel of HR leaders.
Our Panelists:
- Phil Haynes, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Zoom
- Dominique Hollins, Director of Culture and Inclusion, Cloudera
- LaQuita Hester, Senior Manager, Global Talent Acquisition, Getty Images
- Missy Steiman, VP of People and Customer, Solutions Center, SimplyBusiness
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: UNDERSTANDING CANDIDATE INSIGHTS TO ATTRACT TALENT. DOWNLOAD NOW.
1. Ignore what other companies are doing and take the time to listen to your leaders and employees to determine what remote work model works best for your company.
Many of the huge tech companies have publicly shared how they’re addressing returning to work with employees. But as SimplyBusiness’ VP of People and Customer Missy Steiman said, there’s no one size fits all method.
“Ignore the noise, ignore what everyone else is doing and listen to your people.” Steiman said. “Identify what worked well and lean into the things that you don’t know enough about by listening to what your employees are saying.”
Dominique Hollins, Cloudera’s director of culture and inclusion, suggested turning the decision-making process around the future of work at your company into a collaborative experience.
“Make it a fun activity,” Hollins said. “Offer recommendations and have employees give ideas. Then celebrate those ideas so that your employees feel seen and heard.”
2. To attract talent and highlight your DEI initiatives while remote, invite candidates to cultural events that your company is hosting.
One of the best ways to familiarize candidates with your company’s DEI programming is by inviting them to events — even before they’re employees.
That’s what Cloudera does, Hollins said, citing that several engineering candidates attended one of Cloudera’s Black History Month virtual events.
This not only shows more than tells candidates how your company prioritizes DEI, but it invites them in and can immediately create a sense of belonging.
“They couldn’t believe it,” Hollins said. “They felt like they were already at the company.”
3. Candidates have grown comfortable with Zoom meetings and interviews. Use that as a selling point.
Employees may have described Zoom meetings and video conferences as uncomfortable at the start of 2020, but that’s no longer the case, according to LaQuita Hester, Getty Images’ senior manager of global talent acquisition.
Hester said candidates now exude confidence from the onset of a video interview, which suggests that not only are candidates more comfortable in this environment, but perhaps it’s their preference.
“We leverage Zoom as a selling point now,” Hester said. “It speaks to our culture and how we work with one another every day.”
As an added bonus, Hester said Getty Images offers work-from-home stipends for internet, office furniture, curtains, and even free Getty Images for conference call backgrounds.
“That’s really been great for candidates,” Hester said. “We’ve had a lot of offer acceptances that we didn’t expect, and this has been a major selling point.”
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: UNDERSTANDING CANDIDATE INSIGHTS TO ATTRACT TALENT. DOWNLOAD NOW.
