Talent Shortage Archives - Everpool Recruitment

A massive 83% of employees worldwide say they prefer hybrid work models to traditional workplace schedules, but many businesses are still struggling to make flexible models work for them.

What began as an emergency response to an unprecedented crisis has now solidified into a long-term expectation for Office and Commercial employees worldwide. Professionals have discovered the benefits of flexible schedules – better work-life balance, lower travel costs, and less stress- and they don’t want to go back to the way things were.

Unfortunately for business leaders, offering hybrid work options is easy enough, but ensuring teams stay productive, engaged, and aligned is much harder.

Many Office and Commercial employers are walking a tricky tightrope. On the one hand, employees crave autonomy more than ever, while managers need to maintain collaboration, innovation, and constant performance. Fortunately, there are ways to navigate the challenges of hybrid work effectively. You need to be proactive.

The Current State of Hybrid Work in 2025

Employees and business leaders both agree that work needs to be more flexible. According to Zoom, four out of five executives say the future of work will be hybrid. However, actual adoption of hybrid work policies varies across the globe. In the UK, about 28% of adults are hybrid workers. In the US, 52% of remote-capable employees work in a hybrid environment.

Worldwide, everyone seems to be making the shift, but this transition does come with growing pains. Companies are still struggling with:

In-office vs. remote tension: While some employees thrive in remote settings, others miss the spontaneity of in-person collaboration. Leaders struggle to create policies that don’t feel arbitrary or unevenly applied.
Team cohesion: Distributed teams often feel fragmented, with a noticeable dip in informal bonding and peer learning.
Technology gaps: Not all organisations have closed the digital divide, leaving some employees over-reliant on outdated tools or overwhelmed by disconnected platforms.
Productivity measurement: Many companies still default to activity tracking rather than outcome-based performance, creating inefficiencies and misaligned expectations.

Plus, hybrid expectations vary widely among Office and Commercial employers. Senior leaders sometimes prefer more in-office time to maintain visibility and influence. Gen Z and working parents (millennials) value location and schedule flexibility more. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that works for everyone.

Why Hybrid Work Matters to Your Talent Strategy

Embracing hybrid work can be challenging, so some Office and Commercial leaders are tempted to avoid changing anything. But ignoring the growing demand for flexibility could be dangerous. The truth is that flexible work solutions deliver:

Competitive Advantages in Recruitment

As Office and Commercial companies fight for scarce talent, hybrid work becomes a major selling point. Studies show that up to half of all graduates in the UK wouldn’t even consider applying for a job that forces them to be in an office five days a week. Offering hybrid work allows companies to appeal to a wider range of candidates. Plus, it can help expand talent pools by attracting talented professionals located further away from a local office.

Enhanced Employee Retention and Engagement

Hybrid work models regularly improve employee satisfaction and loyalty. According to one survey, employees working for a company that supported hybrid work scored 6% higher on engagement levels compared to the UK average. Those required to return to the office full-time scored 7% lower. Additionally, Stanford found resignation levels fell by 33% for companies that shifted from a full-time in-office to a hybrid work model.

Improved Diversity and Inclusion

Hybrid work arrangements are also excellent for promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. A Office and Commercial company with a hybrid strategy can appeal to a wider range of talented professionals and avoid overlooking candidates with specific schedule requirements. Greater diversity and inclusion generally lead to higher profits and creativity, too.

Common Pitfalls in Hybrid Work Implementation

Hybrid work benefits employers and employees alike. The problem is that implementing hybrid strategies isn’t always simple. The most common hurdles Office and Commercial companies deal with include:

Poor Communication

Communication can start to suffer when people rely on digital tools rather than face-to-face interactions. Employees waste time struggling with complex video conferencing tools, miss important messages or emails, and feel left out of the loop, which can cause productivity and engagement levels to fall.

Proximity Bias

It’s much easier for managers to build relationships with and recognise Office and Commercial employees they see daily. Sometimes, this leads to in-office staff getting preferential treatment over their colleagues. One study found that about 96% of executives admit that they notice in-office efforts more than the contributions of remote workers.

Technology Adoption Challenges

Hybrid work is really only possible with technology—cloud-based platforms, productivity apps, and communication tools. However, not everyone feels comfortable using these tools straight away. A lack of training and integration can mean that tools aren’t used properly, and efficiency begins to wane. User-friendly platforms are a must.

Management Resistance and Traditional Mindsets

As evidenced by countless companies implementing “Return to Office” mandates in recent years, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of hybrid work. Some managers and stakeholders simply don’t believe employees can be productive outside of the office. Others struggle to measure productivity and performance without resorting to tracking things like “hours in the office”.

Corporate Culture Dilution

Preserving a cohesive and supportive company culture can be difficult for a company embracing hybrid work. Some employees can feel disconnected from business values and goals, which leads to a breakdown in collaboration and problems with morale. Business leaders need to make a clear effort to keep everyone involved in the company culture.

Five Strategies to Make Hybrid Work Productive

Demand for hybrid work in the Office and Commercial space isn’t going to disappear. But there are ways to tackle the most common challenges that affect businesses and their teams.

Here are some of the most valuable strategies you can try.

1. Switch to Outcome-Based Performance Frameworks

The number of hours an employee spends at a specific desk doesn’t really matter to your Office and Commercial company’s overall success. The outcomes they achieve, whether they’re working in an office or from home, are what really count.

Rethink how you track and measure performance. Focus on how productive team members are, how often they innovate, and how regularly they contribute to real business goals. Look at what they’re accomplishing rather than logging their locations and time spent.

2. Design Intentional Collaboration Strategies

Collaboration is crucial in any Office and Commercial workplace, but it doesn’t happen spontaneously in a hybrid environment, at least not as often. Business leaders need to focus on intentionally bringing teams together. Establish schedules for how frequently teams should meet in group meetings, video conferencing sessions, or in-person meetings.

Schedule regular check-ins between managers and people who regularly work remotely. Make sure hybrid workers know which tools to use for different types of collaboration. For instance, they might work on documents in real time on Google Workspace or chat with colleagues via Slack.

3. Integrate Seamless Technology Solutions

Technology is the glue connecting hybrid teams, but everything falls apart if staff members don’t know how to use it. The ideal tools for your teams will be the ones that feel natural and intuitive. Look for platforms that integrate communication, project management, document sharing, and more into a single pane of glass—a new “digital workplace.”

Ensure staff members know how these tools work with training sessions and workshops, and ensure they have someone to contact whenever they face technical issues.

4. Provide Management Training for Hybrid Leadership

Keeping hybrid teams motivated and aligned requires different leadership skills. Managers and supervisors need to know how to share feedback regularly with out-of-office workers, and how to foster inclusivity and cohesion between different groups.

Upgrade your training resources, focusing on skills that will benefit hybrid teams, such as digital communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. Listen to the feedback given by hybrid employees about their management preferences.

5. Reinforce Company Culture Across Distributed Teams

Your Office and Commercial company culture shouldn’t disappear when schedules are more flexible. You’ll need to proactively reinforce your values, share your vision, and highlight your mission to everyone. Host virtual events, create recognition programs, and keep communication constant and transparent.

Find ways to strengthen relationships between all kinds of employees with virtual team-building sessions, social interactions, and even gamified experiences. Ensure everyone feels like they belong to the same cohesive family.

How to Attract Top Talent with Your Hybrid Model

Once you’ve ironed out the perfect approach to managing your hybrid team, the next step is using your model to attract new Office and Commercial talent. Be intentional with how you highlight your approach to flexible and hybrid working by:

Showcasing Flexibility in Employer Branding: Highlight your hybrid approach on your careers page, social media platforms, and in employee testimonials. Showing flexibility is one of your values, not just something you’re experimenting with.
Update Job Descriptions: Be clear and transparent in job descriptions. Vague references to “flexibility” are confusing. Clearly outline how your hybrid policy works, and whether you’re willing to negotiate on schedules.
Showcase Success in Interviews: Use interviews as a platform to demonstrate how hybrid work operates in practice. Share stories of team collaboration, remote onboarding wins, and how employees thrive in your model.
Optimise Onboarding: Make sure your onboarding process is structured to support people working outside of the office. Set up remote orientation videos, guides for technology configuration, and digital learning resources.
Use Feedback to Refine: Don’t just assume you’re grabbing the right attention with your efforts. Use post-survey interviews and candidate reviews to constantly improve your approach.

Make Hybrid Work Your Competitive Advantage

Hybrid work models aren’t experiments anymore; they’re quickly becoming the new operating system for modern workforces. Success, however, depends on more than just embracing flexibility. You need to design your hybrid model to work for you.

If you take a proactive approach now, reworking your approach to everything from recruitment to employee management, you’ll set yourself up for success in the years ahead. The future of the Office and Commercial industry will depend on adaptability and the ability to balance freedom and autonomy with accountability and consistency.

Struggling to build your hybrid team? Let’s talk about how your hybrid model can attract top talent, reduce friction, and drive better business results.

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.

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

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