The Wellbeing Advantage: How Mental Health Support Attracts The Best Office and Commercial Talent

May 9, 2025

A few years ago, Office and Commercial wellbeing initiatives – particularly those focused on mental health- were often seen as “nice-to-have” perks. Now, countless studies show that focusing on well-being is becoming a core recruitment differentiator.

In an environment where 87% of companies are experiencing skill gaps, well-being programs are helping organisations navigate talent shortages and reduce hiring time by showing candidates that employers care about their health.

Prioritising wellbeing doesn’t just help attract talent; it significantly improves retention rates. In sectors like the professional services industry, where turnover rates reached a massive 63% in 2022, well-being programs can help mitigate issues with burnout and dissatisfaction that cause crucial employees to abandon ship.

Ultimately, in 2025, mental health support isn’t just a benefit – it’s a business imperative.

The Evolution of Wellbeing in Office and Commercial

In the last decade, workplace well-being programs have undergone a massive shift. In the 1960s and 70s, companies started experimenting with simple perks, like employee fitness centres and gym memberships, designed to boost physical health and reduce absenteeism.

Recently, however, well-being initiatives focused on physical and mental well-being have become increasingly important. Workplace demands have increased, leading to higher levels of stress and burnout among employees. Global challenges, from pandemics to economic issues and political instability, have created a whirlwind of mental health issues for staff.

As a result, holistic well-being initiatives have become a priority for virtually all Office and Commercial candidates. According to SHRM, around 76% of professionals consider mental health benefits to be “critical” when they’re considering new roles. Other studies show that up to 97% of employees believe their employer is responsible for supporting their well-being.

Embracing comprehensive well-being programs helps companies adapt to changing candidate priorities (particularly among younger professionals) and is crucial in tackling various evolving workplace challenges.

According to Gallup, only around 31% of employees are actively engaged at work, and that disengagement is often exacerbated by burnout and stress. Plus, keeping staff members motivated, productive, and engaged is becoming increasingly difficult, as Office and Commercial businesses face mounting issues with resource management, team coordination, and rising project pressures.

Employers who recognise the growing importance of mental health and well-being support can address these issues, creating an environment where teams thrive in the face of new challenges.

The Data Behind the Wellbeing Advantage

Employee well-being programs and solutions that support mental health improve team members’ “quality of life” at work. They also directly impact business performance, reducing recruitment and turnover costs and enhancing productivity.

When it comes to attracting Office and Commercial talent, well-being programs give employers a significant edge – particularly among new cohorts of employees. For instance, 58% of millennials and 54% of Gen Z workers view these programs as essential when choosing a role.

From a retention perspective, research from Forrester shows that as mental health challenges increase among employers, 79% say they would be more likely to stay with a company that offers mental health support. That means embracing the well-being advantage can significantly reduce the costs of recruiting and replacing team members.

Beyond that, a focus on mental health and well-being improves overall team performance. Wellness initiatives have been linked to an up to 23% increase in productivity in some sectors, as employees using them are typically more focused and motivated.

Increased productivity and well-being also lead to better team performance and collaboration. That means businesses benefit from more creative, innovative, and adaptable teams that can delight candidates more effectively and consistently deliver exceptional project outcomes.

Plus, well-being programs contribute to a more “predictable” workplace by reducing unexpected absenteeism and turnover, ensuring that initiatives can move forward without disruption.

Building a Wellbeing-Centred Recruitment Strategy

As companies look forward to the future, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for them to recognise the importance of robust mental health support and holistic well-being programs. Without the right strategy, you don’t just risk losing out on top talent – you could face higher turnover rates, increased costs, and reduced productivity.

So, how do you build a well-being-focused recruitment strategy?

Step 1: Define What Candidates Really Want

First, understand what today’s candidates are looking for from an employer. They’re not just prioritising competitive salaries anymore. They need evidence that their employer values work-life balance and good mental health.

Candidates are actively searching for companies that offer flexible and hybrid work arrangements, mental health days, and flexible time-off policies. They’re looking for comprehensive health benefits, including mental health coverage or stress management resources.

They also want to see evidence of a well-being-focused culture where clear boundaries are respected and workloads are distributed fairly among team members. Research what matters to your candidates today, and be prepared to adapt.

Step 2: Auditing and Enhancing Current Wellbeing Programs

Review your current well-being initiatives once you’ve identified what Office and Commercial candidates want. Gather feedback from staff using employee surveys and dive deeper into the policies and benefits you currently use. Are you focusing too heavily on physical health and ignoring issues like stress and emotional health support?

Do your supervisors and managers need additional training to ensure they can effectively contribute to a supportive, inclusive, and respectful work environment? How effective are your current strategies at reducing stress and burnout, based on the insights you get from staff?

Find the gaps you need to fill and develop a clear, well-being-focused value proposition that addresses how your initiatives support all aspects of employee health.

Step 3: Communicating Your Wellbeing Focus

After developing a well-being-focused value proposition, you need to articulate it effectively. Update your website and social media pages with content that draws attention to your programs, policies, and benefits.

Ask employees to share their “well-being success stories” on your website, through their social media channels, digital forums, and job review sites. Update your recruitment materials, such as job descriptions, to spotlight your focus on mental health support.

Additionally, train interviewers and recruitment teams to ensure they can authentically portray your Office and Commercial company’s well-being culture and initiatives.

Step 4: Commit To Continuous Improvement

Well-being challenges and your employees’ priorities will continue to change in the years ahead, and you’ll need to be ready to adapt. Take a proactive approach to gathering data about the impact of your well-being strategies. Monitor key metrics related to employee engagement, retention rates, and absenteeism.

Encourage team members to share their thoughts on the benefits and downsides of your well-being strategies and ask them for suggestions on improving. Adjust your programs based on that feedback and data, and continue to evolve.

That way, you’ll show your employees you value and respect their input and give yourself a competitive edge when differentiating your company from other employers.

Case Studies: Wellbeing as a Competitive Advantage

Many world-leading companies have already embraced the well-being advantage, inside and outside of the Office and Commercial industry – and they’re seeing incredible results. For instance, the global software company SAP offers a comprehensive well-being program focusing on mental health support, flexible work, and stress management. This initiative has led to increased employee engagement and reduced team turnover rates.

Innocent Drinks has taken an innovative approach to its well-being initiatives, running training courses on mental health (for both employees and managers) and creating a “People Clinic” where people can go whenever they need help with personal or work-based issues.

Johnson & Johnson even famously revealed that, based on their calculations, their well-being programs have saved the company more than $250 million in healthcare costs and turnover expenses over a decade.

Wellbeing: The Must-Have Recruitment Advantage

Well-being and mental health support aren’t just nice-to-have perks anymore. For companies in the Office and Commercial industry, a holistic well-being program is the key to attracting and retaining more talent, improving productivity and engagement, and reducing unnecessary costs.

Suppose you want to give your company an edge in a skills-short industry, sidestep skyrocketing turnover rates, and adhere to evolving candidate expectations. In that case, it’s time to make well-being a priority.

Now’s the time to review your current well-being initiatives and policies and ask yourself: What can you do to keep your teams happy and healthy?

The Real Truth Behind the Skills Short Talent Market

February 20, 2025

The “talent shortage” is something that Legal recruitment teams and market analysts have been discussing for years. In 2024, a ManPower survey showed that more than 75% of employers globally were struggling to fill roles – in virtually every industry.

But the idea that the market is short of skilled workers is difficult to believe at a time when news about widespread layoffs and AI systems replacing human employees seems to be dominating the headlines. The truth is that companies are struggling to access the right talent with the specific skills they need to thrive. However, the “talent scarcity” these organisations aren’t just a result of a complete lack of access to skilled professionals.

The companies struggling most with talent shortages, more commonly, are dealing with deeper issues linked to poor recruitment, retention, and workplace management strategies.

Here, we’ll explore the real story by the current “skills gap” and show you how you can implement strategies to future-proof your growing Legal team.

Market Reality Check: The Current Situation

The current Legal job market is a complicated place, shaped by evolving economic uncertainties, constant technological disruption and changing workplace dynamics. On the one hand, companies have access to more talented professionals than ever before.

Not only are new generations of candidates entering the market, but by embracing flexible and remote working opportunities, employers can source candidates from a wider range of environments. Even with access to AI and automated tools that professionals fear will lead to future job displacement, countless employers are expecting to hire more team members this year.

However, across industries, business managers are still struggling to find the talent they need. This “talent shortage” is affecting everyone. According to the ManPower study mentioned above, 71% of companies with fewer than 10 employees are facing skill shortages, and 77% of businesses with up to 5,000 employees are facing the same issues.

There are numerous reasons for this. First, economic issues are making it harder for companies to offer talent the renumeration and benefits packages they’re looking for. Secondly, countless Legal employers are fighting for candidates with the same skills.

Today, every employer wants professionals not just with new technical skills, like digital literacy, familiarity with AI, but also specific soft skills: such as a strong capacity for communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. The result is an environment where countless companies are battling it out for a specific “sub-group” of candidates, rather than tapping into a wider range of opportunities.

Overcoming the Talent Crunch: Strategic Moves

As Legal businesses grapple with a tightening talent market, success lies in adopting innovative, multi-faceted, and updated strategies for talent acquisition. The key is to rethink how your organisation not only sources and attracts talent but also develops and retains its existing workforce, paving the way for future growth.

Here’s how companies and hiring managers can gain an edge in 2025.

1.    Widening the Talent Pool: Updating Sourcing Strategies

The talent shortage is real, but Legal employers are actively aggravating it with the wrong approach to talent sourcing. Traditional talent sourcing strategies naturally deliver a narrower talent pool to choose from. Exploring alternative routes ensures access to more opportunities.

Look at working with Legal recruitment companies on sourcing strategies that tap into candidates from different generational and geographic groups. Consider options like apprenticeships, return-to-work programmes, and partnerships with vocational schools.

Similarly, underrepresented groups, such as individuals with disabilities, veterans, and career changers, bring valuable perspectives and untapped potential when given the right opportunities. With access to cloud-based technology, you can even consider hiring remote employees from different regions worldwide—expanding your talent pool beyond your local area.

Taking a broader approach to sourcing talent will not only give your company more potential candidates to choose from but also help improve the diversity of your team. Remember, McKinsey found that diverse teams are 36% more likely to outperform their peers financially.

2.    Skills-Based Hiring: Taking a New Approach

Adopting skills-based hiring offers a transformative solution to the talent shortage. Rather than focusing your attention exclusively on candidates with specific credentials and certifications, consider their abilities that can benefit your Legal team.

A skills-based approach to hiring further widens your talent pool, by allowing you to recognise the value of non-traditional candidates. You can even tap into the experts with transferrable skills currently working in other industries.

With industries like retail and hospitality contracting, organisations are finding that workers with skills in customer service, problem-solving, and adaptability can transition seamlessly into new roles in technology, logistics, or healthcare.

Once again, skills-based hiring will increase your access to diverse talent and could help improve your chances of making successful hiring decisions. Studies show that assessing skills is five times more effective at helping companies predict a candidate’s future job performance than focusing on work experience or credentials alone.

3.    Improving Your Employer Value Proposition

In 2025, if you want to hire the best Legal candidates, you need more than just a competitive salary. Attracting and retaining talent requires an investment in a unique, compelling employer value proposition (EVP), that resonates with the priorities of the current workforce.

Right now, employees are searching for more meaningful, purpose-led work, greater flexibility, and a sense of belonging in their companies. They’re also looking for more diverse benefits and opportunities for continued growth and development.

When developing your EVP, combine a competitive salary with a comprehensive benefits package that covers everything from traditional perks like pension plans to mental health support, childcare options, flexible work, or adjustable schedules.

Concentrate on building a company culture focusing on work-life balance, employee wellness, and continuous training and development. Offering employees access to everything from courses to training programs and mentorship can make your workplace more appealing. Plus, focusing on employee development also helps you to enhance the value and potential of your existing team members – which takes us to our next point.

4.    Making the Most of Your Team: Talent Development

In a complex talent landscape, finding employees with the specific combination of Legal technical skills and soft skills you need can be extremely difficult. However, training your existing team members and helping them to develop new skills is often much easier.

Building robust development pathways for your employees will ensure you can fill skill gaps much faster, while fostering ongoing loyalty and engagement.

Cross-functional training is a practical starting point, enabling employees to acquire skills beyond their immediate roles. By investing in programs that encourage transferable skill development—such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving—companies can prepare employees for varied positions. Combining development strategies with succession planning is equally important.

Identifying high-potential employees early and mapping clear paths for advancement ensures that businesses have capable leaders ready to step up when needed. You could even ask existing Legal leaders to act as mentors, giving newer employees the leadership skills and insights they’ll need to thrive in future roles.

Investing in growth and learning will help you to unlock full value of your existing employees, improve your employer brand (to attract new talent), and increase retention rates.

5.    Optimising Employee Retention

Finally, speaking of retention, holding onto your top talent is just as important as being able to attract new candidates in a skills-short Legal market. An effective retention strategy will reduce the number of “gaps” you need to fill in your team, and reduce the cost and disruption caused by regular turnover.

Investing in the development of your team members and offering access to both competitive salaries and strong benefits is a good way to boost retention. However, there are other strategies you can explore too. Foster a culture of recognition and appreciation.

Regularly acknowledging and rewarding your employees for their contributions helps to build loyalty and morale. Prioritise the wellbeing of your employees, by taking a proactive approach to fighting against burnout, helping them handle stress, and giving them flexibility in their roles.

It is also crucial to create an inclusive workplace where everyone on your team feels supported and appreciated regardless of their role or background. Transparent communication, regular team-building exercises, and diversity training can be helpful here.

Building a Resilient Recruitment Strategy

The talent shortage in the Legal industry is real. But it’s up to you how much it affects your recruitment strategy. If you continue to rely on the same old-fashioned methods to attract, source, and acquire talent, and fail to invest in the retention and development of your existing employees, then you’re going to struggle to grow.

Alternatively, if you expand your sourcing pools, look beyond traditional recruitment strategies, and commit to building an environment where employees naturally grow and thrive, you’ll stay one step ahead of the competition.

The job market has changed, don’t harm your future by leaving your recruitment strategy in the past. Adapt, and evolve, and your workplace with thrive.

Skills vs Attitude Vs Potential: The Great Hiring Debate in Legal Costs

October 10, 2024

Hiring the best Legal Costs talent isn’t easy, particularly when skill shortages are increasing. The cost of making the wrong decision can be huge. Not only do you waste time and resources onboarding and training the wrong employee, but your team’s productivity can suffer, too.

So, how do you ensure you’re making the right hiring choices? Focusing on skills is common, particularly for companies trying to avoid unconscious bias. Prioritising skills over attributes ensures you can hire team members with the right abilities to thrive in a specific role.

However, while more than 80% of employers say they take a skills-based approach to hiring, focusing on skills alone may not be a good idea. After all, the skills Legal Costs team members need are constantly changing, and while you can teach employees how to leverage new skills, it’s much harder to shape a team member’s attitude or potential.

Here’s what you need to know about hiring for skills, vs attitude, vs potential.

The Current Job Market Landscape: Hiring Challenges

The Legal Costs job market has changed significantly in recent years. The competition for top talent is increasing in an environment where every company faces significant skill shortages. Worldwide, more than 75% of companies struggle to find skilled workers.

Additionally, employee priorities are changing. Following the “Great Resignation”, candidates focus more on finding roles that offer the perfect blend of work balance, development opportunities, and a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

To attract and retain top talent, companies can’t afford to rely exclusively on scanning resumes for evidence of the right education or experience. CVs offer a stunted insight into a candidate’s potential, focusing solely on their achievements.

A more comprehensive approach to analysing a candidate’s “potential matrix”, based on their hard and soft skills, personality traits, and ability to adapt to changing situations, ensures you can hire more resilient, successful employees.

The Case for Skills-Based Hiring

Skills-based hiring, which involves prioritising candidates based on their abilities, does have value. Deloitte research found that companies that take a skills-based approach to hiring are 63% more likely to achieve the results they need from their teams.

Evaluating the skills of your potential employees ensures you can look beyond how many years of experience a candidate has in the Legal Costs sector or which certifications they’ve earned to focus on how well they’ll be able to carry out specific responsibilities at work.

This can reduce the risk of unconscious bias in hiring and lead to benefits like:

  • Quicker hiring decisions: Skills are often relatively easy to verify through portfolios, certifications, and practical tests, accelerating your hiring decisions.
  • Immediate productivity: Employees with the right skills can instantly contribute to your workforce without additional training.
  • Reduced costs: Because your candidates will already have the skills they need to thrive in their role, you can spend less money on training, mentoring, and development.
  • Improved retention: Some studies show that skills-based hires have a 9% longer tenure at their companies than traditional hires.
  • Competitive advantage: Focusing on emerging skills, such as digital literacy, can help you give your organisation a competitive advantage in the Legal Costs industry.

Focusing at least partially on skills is often crucial for virtually all roles and positions. Ensuring your team members have the right competencies to complete the tasks essential to their roles means you can hire more efficient, productive team members.

However, there’s a risk to focusing on skills alone, particularly in a world where experts predict employers will need to reskill more than 1 billion people by 2030, thanks to changes in the workplace. That’s where a focus on attitude and potential becomes a priority.

The Benefits of Prioritising Attitude and Potential

Skills are undoubtedly important in any role, but they can’t accurately predict a person’s chances of success in your organisation alone.

They’re either missing motivation, don’t have the resiliency to adapt to changes, or can’t thrive in the culture your company offers. Technical skills can be easily taught in the Legal Costs industry with coaching, training, and mentorship. Adjusting someone’s attitude is much harder.

Focusing on attitude and potential by examining a candidate’s personality, soft skills like communication and adaptability, and work ethic drives incredible results, such as:

  • Greater resilience: In the fast-moving Legal Costs industry, companies need adaptable employees who can adjust quickly to changing challenges. Hiring employees focusing on continuous learning, improvement, and a growth mindset improves resilience.
  • Improved retention: Studies show that 90% of new hires lose their job due to their attitude or personality. Hiring for attitude improves your chances of retaining critical team members who mesh well with your team.
  • Enhanced performance: Candidates with the right attitude and soft skills are more effective at collaborating with team members, serving customers, and solving problems. This can significantly improve the performance of your teams.
  • Diversity: By hiring for attitude and potential over technical skills, you can improve your chances of building a more diverse workforce, boosting your employer brand.

Of course, hiring for attitude alone also has its setbacks. If you focus on personality over skills entirely, you’ll need to invest more in training and development programs and spend more time evaluating candidates for personality traits.

Balancing Skills and Attitude: The Hybrid Hiring Approach

Ultimately, the best option for improved Legal Costs hiring strategies isn’t focusing on skills, attitude and potential independently – it’s taking a holistic approach.

When hiring a new team member, focusing on certain essential skills, such as proficiency with certain software or exceptional communication and customer service skills, will help streamline the recruitment process and reduce the cost of future training.

Skills-based hiring will also ensure you can hire team members who are immediately productive in their role, improving the ROI of your hiring strategy. Plus, it can reduce the risk of unconscious bias in your hiring decisions, ensuring you can assess each candidate objectively.

However, focusing on attitude and potential by evaluating a Legal Costs candidate’s soft skills, personality traits, and work ethic ensures you can choose diverse candidates who can contribute to your company culture and remain resilient in a shifting landscape.

Here are our top tips for hiring for skills, attitude and potential.

1.    Identify Essential Skills Carefully

Assess the roles you need to fill carefully and determine which skills are crucial to your candidates’ responsibilities. Focus on prioritising skills that would be difficult or time-consuming for staff to learn on the job.

For instance, while it’s easy to show a candidate how to use a new piece of Legal Costs software, delivering comprehensive skills training for things like accounting, analytics, or customer service would be much harder.

Once you’ve identified the most crucial skills your employees need, search for those capabilities consistently across all applicants. Take additional steps to minimise unconscious bias in your hiring decisions, such as using structured and standardised interview questions and blind resume screening.

2.    Determine Valuable Attitude Traits

After assessing the most essential “technical” skills your candidates will need, consider the attitude and personality traits that will make them a good fit for your business. Focus on things like:

  • Soft skills: Great time management or communication skills.
  • Mindset: A growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning.
  • Personality traits: Such as proactivity, intrinsic motivation, and flexibility.

Identify how you’ll examine these indicators of “potential” in your candidates. For instance, competency-based interviews with situational questions, behavioural interview questions, and personality tests can offer valuable insights.

Peer interviews can also be extremely useful, as they allow different team members to understand how well a new Legal Costs employee will fit into or contribute to your workplace dynamic. You could even consider hiring employees on a “trial” period for insights into how well they integrate with your team and their effectiveness in their roles.

3.    Commit to Continuous Development

Finally, ensure you have a strategy for continuously developing your new Legal Costs team members. While you might not be able to change their attitudes, you can improve their potential and enhance their integration into your workforce with group training and coaching sessions.

You can also look into options for improving your staff member’s soft skills, such as offering communication and collaboration training resources.

Regardless of the technical skills your team members already have, make sure you’re constantly offering access to new development opportunities. Think carefully about the future needs of your business, and offer access to a range of solutions to boost skills in digital literacy, technology, and niche-specific capabilities.

Take a Balanced Approach to Legal Costs Hiring

Ultimately, neither skills-based hiring nor focusing entirely on attitude and potential will ensure you can hire the right employees for your Legal Costs team. The right results require a holistic approach, focusing on skills, attitude, and potential in equal measure.

With a holistic strategy, you can ensure you’re hiring employees who contribute to your company culture, respond well to changing circumstances, and perform well in their roles.

Contact Everpool Recruitment today to learn how we can help you make the right hiring decisions based on skills, attitude, and potential.

How to Become an Employer Of Choice in the Fashion Industry

April 11, 2024

The hiring market in the Fashion industry has been candidate-driven for some time.

Countless companies are now competing for candidates with critical skills to help their organisations thrive in a challenging economy. This means talented professionals have more freedom to select positions that align with their priorities and values.

Positioning yourself as an “Employer of Choice” (E.O.C.) in Fashion is critical to reducing the costs and complexity of the recruitment process, as well as accessing the right talent.

How do you develop a reputation as the “ultimate” business to work for?

Here, we’ll look at some of the most valuable strategies business leaders can use to position themselves as an employer of choice.

Attracting Top Talent: Why It Matters Now

Rampant skill shortages and increasing competition for talent have led to a complex recruitment environment for Fashion companies. Up to 80% of businesses in the U.K. are having trouble persistently filling roles, and the issue extends worldwide.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that there are currently 9.5 million job openings in the U.S. and only 6.5 million unemployed workers.

Simply put, the number of talented professionals in the job market is dwindling, and these candidates are becoming more discerning about which companies they choose to work for.

Employees now expect organisations to offer a combination of diversity, equity, inclusion, a supportive company culture, a commitment to the environment and sustainability, and exceptional growth opportunities.

All the while, they’re still searching for flexibility and compassion from employers.

This trend will only continue as Gen Z enters the workforce, prioritising ethical behaviour, wellbeing, and workplace perks ahead of higher salaries.

Hiring the wrong candidate isn’t an option, with a poor hire costing companies from 30% of a hire’s first-year salary up to £240,000 for senior hires. This means companies must invest more heavily in positioning themselves as the ideal employer for their intended workforce.

Becoming an employer of choice:

  • Increases productivity and profitability: Well-supported, satisfied, and happy staff members are more productive and profitable.

    Companies with a positive people-first company culture achieve four times higher profits than their competitors.

  • Simplifies recruitment and retention: Passive candidates and top talent are more likely to apply for a role with a company considered an “employer of choice”.
  • Enhances brand equity: A satisfied workforce is likelier to speak highly of their employer, refer new team members to the company, and deliver excellent results.

Key Strategies to Become a Company People Want to Join

Becoming an employer of choice in the Fashion space requires a multi-faceted approach to addressing the needs and expectations of your candidates. Several strategies in today’s hiring market can boost your chances of attracting and retaining talent.

1.    Cultivating a Strong Company Culture

Culture is increasingly crucial to top talent in the Fashion landscape. Employees want to work with a supportive, empathetic, and flexible company. According to an Inc.com survey, winning companies consistently demonstrated a more significant commitment to building a culture that delighted and engaged employees.

Building a strong culture in the current environment involves:

  • Concentrating on employee engagement: Look for ways to consistently engage employees, delivering feedback, recognition, and rewards for their work. Enable consistent collaboration and communication between teams, and invest in team-building exercises.
  • Offering flexibility: 93% of candidates say they want a flexible role. While remote and hybrid working might not be an option for every Fashion company, there are other ways to offer flexibility, such as giving employees more ownership of their schedules.
  • Supporting work balance: Wellbeing and work balance are crucial concerns, particularly for younger Gen Z employees. Encouraging team members to use their paid time off or allowing them to manage their work schedules around their lives is becoming increasingly essential.

Additionally, employees are searching for more ethical employers committed to protecting the environment, supporting different communities, and treating people compassionately.

2.    Offer Competitive Benefits and Compensation

While many Fashion candidates are looking beyond salary in the search for the ideal role, the right remuneration is still crucial to attracting candidates. A complex economic environment and cost of living issues are prompting many employees to leave their old roles for better income.

A Gallup study found the importance of a higher salary had risen in priority from no four to no one since 2015.

Ensuring your remuneration packages align with or exceed the industry standard will help you attract more loyal, engaged employees.

However, it’s crucial to look beyond direct remuneration, too. Gen Z and X members say they would quit their jobs tomorrow for one with benefits supporting their wellbeing. Consider which benefits are most likely to appeal to your target candidates.

Many standard drivers for many employees are flexible, remote, and hybrid work. However, access to other benefits, such as mental and physical health support or the ability to spend time volunteering for causes they care about, will be valuable to some Fashion candidates.

3.    Invest in Employee Development and Growth

A strong employee development program has always been a priority for the best Fashion candidates. Every employee wants to expand their skill set and become more valuable to their employer. More importantly, they want to see a future with your company.

This is particularly true in recent years, as employees continue to worry about the growing issue of job insecurity. With this in mind, invest in your employees’ development and look at opportunities to help them enhance critical hard skills (digital literacy) and soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, and resiliency.

Explore options such as:

  • Online learning and courses: Online learning initiatives can give Fashion employees more freedom to choose and manage their development path. They can explore a range of courses related to their role in their own time.
  • In-person training: Empower employees to attend in-person classes or workshops. Allow them to visit events and conferences where they can expand their network.
  • Mentorship: Consider creating a mentorship program where your high-level employees can provide consistent guidance to newer staff members.
  • On-the-job development: Create opportunities for team members to participate in additional projects or lead a project. Delegate tasks to them that will stretch or develop
    new skills, or build their competency.

4.    Embed Inclusivity and Diversity

Fashion candidates, particularly in the Gen Z and millennial landscape, believe inclusivity and diversity is critical to building an enduring company culture. They’re looking for employers who deliver supportive, equitable environments to team members from all backgrounds.

Reports from analysts like McKinsey also show that companies that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive are better able to respond to challenges, find top talent, and address the needs of an evolving customer base.

Communicate clearly with your employees about your diversity and inclusion efforts and how they relate to your organisation core values. Introduce training initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion. Explore cross-team collaboration exercises that encourage people from different backgrounds to collaborate and share perspectives.

You can also demonstrate your commitment by ensuring you’re taking an unbiased approach to hiring. If this is an area you can develop further, working with a specialist recruitment company like us at Everpool can help.

5.    Embrace Transparency and Open Communication

Today’s world is plagued by confusion and uncertainty, making it more critical than ever for Fashion employers to demonstrate transparency with their staff members. Employees want clarity, not just when it comes to identifying their roles and responsibilities, but also regarding understanding their purpose and impact on the company.

Open communication is crucial, which means sharing updates (both positive and negative) with your employees about the direction your business is moving in and what it means for them.

Remember, open communication is also about listening.

Gathering feedback from team members about what you can do to give them a better work-life balance or experience will improve your prospects of retaining staff and enhancing your employer brand.

Becoming an Employer of Choice

The shift to a candidate-driven, skills-short market means Fashion companies need to work harder than ever to attract and retain top talent. Developing a strategy to improve your employer brand and value proposition through flexibility, diversity, inclusion, and empathy is crucial.

Perhaps the easiest way to start this transformative journey is to work with a Fashion recruitment company that can guide your business.

The right recruitment company will help diversify your talent pool, guide you through creating an exceptional company culture, and offer insights into the priorities of your candidates.

At Everpool Recruitment, we have been helping firms acquire talent, and Fashion job seekers find their ideal roles. If you want to find out how we can help, call us at 0151 556 2090 or email us here info@everpoolrecruitment.com

Assessing Cultural Fit When Building Your Office and Commercial Team This Year

February 29, 2024

Assessing Cultural Fit When Building Your Office and Commercial Team This Year

Whether you’re re-entering the workforce after a short break or ready to take the next step in your career path with an exciting new role, a Office and Commercial recruiter can be a valuable resource.

In today’s skills-short landscape, studies show it can take six months to find a new job.

The more competitive your industry, the longer the search for the right role can take. Working with a dedicated Office and Commercial recruiter doesn’t just improve your chances of finding a great position fast. It also gives you the guidance, expertise, and direction to achieve your career goals.

Recruiters can help you refine your personal brand, ensure you stand out to the right employers, and offer access to opportunities you can’t find yourself. The challenge is in finding the right recruiter to work with. Today, we’re covering the top ways you can ensure you choose the best recruitment partner for your career goals.

1. Alignment with Your Priorities

When an employer starts working with a Office and Commercial recruitment partner, the first thing they do is define the talent they need, their available job openings, and their requirements. Similarly, when looking for a recruiter to assist in your job search, you need a clear understanding of your priorities and specific needs. Think about:

  • The type of role you want: Are you searching for a temporary or permanent position? Do you want a remote role, hybrid flexibility, or a position where you work in-house at a specific location? Are you going to work part-time or full-time?
  • Your ideal company culture: What sort of culture do you want to be a part of? Do you want to prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion? Do you need an empathetic and flexible workplace that adapts to your needs?
  • Values and requirements: What will most influence your decision of where to work? For instance, 88% of job seekers say a healthy culture is vital to success. Some people focus more on benefits and salary, while others look for growth and development opportunities.

Clearly identifying your priorities will ensure you can find a recruiter who adheres to your specific needs and expectations and shares your values.

2. Specialist Industry Knowledge

While any recruiter might be able to enhance and simplify your job search, you’ll always get better results from a recruiter who understands your industry, field, or sector. Specialist recruiters with a deep knowledge of the Office and Commercial landscape can give you an edge over the competition.

They know what hiring managers are specifically looking for in a candidate, from the required soft and hard skills to the credentials that will make you stand out. They know which challenges you’ll face in your job search, how to overcome them, and which channels they can use to find job opportunities for people with your skills.

Industry-specialized recruiters are better equipped to match you with the right opportunities. They can help you with everything from optimising your CV and cover letter to boosting your impact during interviews.

3. A Proven Track Record

The best Office and Commercial recruiter should be able to demonstrate evidence of their success in placing candidates like you in the right role. When you are looking for a good track record, don’t just pay attention to how many candidates your recruiter placed. Find proof that your recruiter can match the right candidate to the correct role.

Up to 30% of new hires leave a position within 90 days simply because the culture, benefits, or workplace doesn’t match their needs. A great recruiter should help you to find a Office and Commercial job you can thrive in for as long as you choose.

While you can usually read client and candidate reviews on a recruitment companies website, it’s worth diving a little deeper. Consider asking for case studies and success stories from previous clients. Ask questions about how your recruiter defines a “successful” placement.

4. Clear Communication

An excellent Office and Commercial recruiter should always be able to offer an exceptional candidate experience. That starts with a commitment to clear, consistent, and transparent communication. Your ideal recruiter should be able to answer any questions you have about how they select roles to suit your needs and how they measure and report on their results.

They should be clear about their pricing structure, the terms and conditions of their contracts, and the level of support they provide. For instance, does your recruiter direct you to Office and Commercial role opportunities, or do they also function as a guide and a coach?

Find out whether they can help you prepare for interviews, optimise your CV and enhance your professional brand. Find out how easy it will be to get responses to any questions you might have through your preferred contact method. Prioritise recruitment agencies that keep you informed and supported every step of the way.

5. Broad Networks and Relationship-Building Skills

The best recruiters don’t just save you time searching through job boards for the right Office and Commercial roles. They specialise in giving you access to opportunities you can’t find yourself. Studies show that only around 33% of job openings are filled through posts on job boards.

Many of the best opportunities will never be listed publicly, and the right recruiter can help you access these opportunities. They’ll have pre-existing relationships with industry-leading brands, forums, and groups that give you access to new opportunities.

Recruiters can use their network and their relationships in your industry to point you towards difficult-to-find openings. They can even help to place you in a company’s talent pipeline, so you’re the first to know when a competitive job opportunity emerges in a specific business.

6. A Personalised Approach

Though many Office and Commercial recruiters will use similar methodologies and proven strategies to help place candidates in the right roles, their approach should be customised to your needs. The best recruiters understand every person in the Office and Commercial industry has aspirations, skills, and challenges to overcome.

They’ll take the time to discover what matters most for you when searching for a role, and they’ll adapt their services accordingly.

Some can even offer specialist support for those who need help with specific things, like optimising their professional brand or preparing for interviews.

Find out, in advance, how your recruiter can tailor their services to your requirements to ensure you always get the best results. It may even be worth asking whether they can work with you long-term to help you pursue promotions and growth opportunities in your space.

Choosing the Right Office and Commercial Recruiter

A specialist Office and Commercial recruiter is one of the most valuable resources you have in today’s competitive job market. More than just a solution to help streamline your job search, the right partner will act as a coach, guide, and constant source of support as you work towards your career goals.

Choosing a team or individual with a proven track record, shared values, industry specialization, networking skills, clear communication, and a personalised approach will boost your chances of success. With the steps above, you should be able to identify the best recruiter to help you secure the role you’ve always wanted in the Office and Commercial landscape.