Working from home, something that what once considered a powerful employee ‘perk’, has become second nature in nearly every profession, including Policy, Public Affairs and Communications, since the UK entered a lockdown on the 23rd of March 2020. The pandemic has changed the way we work forever, which begs the question, what do staff actually want in this new world of work?

For some, working from home is a blessing but for others, remote working is simply not a feasible long-term possibility, whether that is because home office set ups aren’t viable on a permanent basis or because the isolation of working away from teams doesn’t suit the individual. It’s important to ask ourselves if we’re confusing a ‘temporary abnormal’ with the ‘new normal’? Many have suggested that the pandemic will be the death of the office with staff unlikely to return full-time to an office-based environment having enjoyed the flexibility and freedom remote working has afforded them. Arguably, the solution to this is a tailored and structured hybrid working model that acknowledges that working from home, in the long term, is not the permanent solution to the pandemic.

Remote working and attracting talent

While remote working will no doubt have an impact on current staff retention, the topic is naturally playing a crucial role in talent attraction across the Policy, Public Affairs and Communications arena. This is largely being driven by the skills shortages that are being felt across the UK, with employers battling for top talent by promoting more of the perks of the job.

And this challenge will only intensify if we take the latest employment data into consideration. In fact, the most recent information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that for the first time ever, the number of job vacancies in the UK out-weighed the unemployment level. There’s clearly a disparity between demand and supply of talent at the moment and for businesses looking to source the best professionals, gaining that competitive advantage over other employers is a key priority.

But is remote working really the best way to attract new Policy, Public Affairs and Communications talent?

Finding the balance

The work-from-home versus return to the office argument is likely to remain rife for some time yet. The recent news of Apple employees' revolting against plans to return to the office arguing it would make the company more “white and more male-dominated” is just one example of the struggles to find the right balance. While Apple CEO Tim Cook has now back-tracked on the decision, we don’t doubt that we’ll continue to hear more on this topic for the remained of this year at least.

There’s been a wealth of research already carried out on this subject, with a YouGov poll, revealing that a staggering 86% of workers who started working from home during the pandemic are interested in continuing to do so. However, while a lot of the commentary on this topic has focused very much on people’s views on preferred set ups or being asked by their employer to return to the office, we felt there was a need to balance this perspective and ask, what if a role mandated remote working? Would this impact recruitment activity or has it really become the norm to work away from the office?

We put the question to our LinkedIn audience; “Would you turn down a role if it required you to work from home all the time?” While it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that the majority voted no (74%), it’s important to add that there was a segment of respondents who indicated that they would turn down a role that was fully remote. That means that employers could potentially be alienating 26% of the potential target audiences by indicating that a role is fully remote, rather than providing an option to choose.

This ability to make a choice between the office and home is arguably going to be of greatest value in the war for talent. For those working from home with young children or battling for Wi-Fi with other adults in the household who are also working remotely, a job advert that specifics remote working only will be off-putting. And for those looking to progress their career and learn from their peers in a new role, it’s perhaps understandable that the ability to be in a physical workplace will be desirable.

Recruiting the best talent

Making assumptions about your talent pools and what they want is always a risky approach. At the end of the day, there is no one size fits all solution and what individuals want is derived by circumstance, whether that be business sector, location, or home situation. As experts in recruitment across Policy, Public Affairs and Communication, we know how nuanced candidate demands can be – but we also know how to appeal to these complex needs. For those employers in the public affairs arena, flexibility is crucial when developing a job spec. Just because something is the norm does not necessarily mean it works for everyone.

For more information, or to discuss your hiring needs, contact us.