Tackling UK Staff Shortages with Employee Benefits, Not Visas

05.10.2021, 15:35
Tackling UK Staff Shortages with Employee Benefits, Not Visas
Following the announcement that the UK government will not be extending temporary visas outside the HGV transportation and poultry sectors, David McCormack, CEO of HIVE360, considers alternatives for employers experiencing recruitment shortages.
For employers in the retail sector the way to tackle the skills shortage is to make some simple changes to how they approach what they offer workers and how, which wonāt impact costs or operational resources.
The UK retail sector is suffering the same challenges around staff and labour as the HGV driver shortage. Despite the devastating news businesses are not to be given the chance of employing workers from overseas given temporary work visas to fill the skills gap, a change in thinking around how they attract and reward workers will work, because adding relevant benefits to their earnings will improve staff retention and attraction.
Last week (30 September 2021), the BBC revealed it had been told the Home Office and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are not discussing the possibility of visas for other sectors, with one UK government source saying businesses should āmove to a high-wage, high-skilled economyā by investing in their workforce and improving pay and conditions.
Talent attraction tactics vary from business to business, but often include employer branding, recruitment marketing, workplace culture – and benefits, with work-life balance nowĀ named asĀ the main driver forĀ candidatesĀ decidingĀ whether to takeĀ a job, and stay in it.
Employers should take advantage of mobile tech tools that are focused on employee engagement, benefits and rewards,ā he says, āparticularly with support of theirĀ physical and mental health and wellbeing.Ā
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Times are hard, so they should also addĀ value toĀ pay by helpingĀ workersā money go furtherĀ with savings discounts on everyday spending,Ā which are aĀ powerful way to help take-home pay goĀ further, andĀ boost the perceived value of hourly pay rates.
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At HIVE360 we have publishedĀ a freeĀ āAttract: Engage: Retain: your complete guide to getting your people strategy rightāĀ eBook which offers tips and advice on how to kickstart a people strategy, re-engage workers, and give workforces a better employee experience, drawing on our extensive experience as aĀ GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority).
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Demand for workers is the highest since 1997, and with an estimated 1.3 million people leaving the UK since the pandemic began, theĀ jobsĀ market is asĀ competitive andĀ tight as itās ever been, withĀ 69 per cent of UK companies reporting talent shortages and difficulty hiring.