If you’ve been in the business of hiring and firing for the past few years then it’s likely the following words will be of very little surprise to you… culture and flexibility. These are the main themes of the report for 2022 because top candidates are taking these factors into consideration more than ever before. Right now, most industries are dealing with a candidate short market where recruiters have more roles than people to fill them. In order to get the best talent, you need to be the best employer. 

I'm pickin' up good vibrations, that role is giving me excitations 

Company culture refers to the values and actions that determine how a company's big fish and littler fish interact. If you’re GenZ it could also be described as the general “vibes” of the business. We’ve come a long way from the Mad Men-esque offices of the 50s, women at the bottom in the low paying jobs, men battling it out for the corner offices at the top, not to mention the cigarette smoke everywhere! Now offices look more like coffee shops and company branded hoodies are the unofficial uniform. 

Flex baby, flex baby

Flexibility in business is mostly focused on where and when you work. It wasn’t too long ago that when someone said they work from home they were met with confused faces. Working from home was a benefit that used to be reserved for a minority of the workforce, but over the last two years attitudes have quickly adjusted and it's easy to see why. Saving money on travel and having more time for life admin is a benefit to us all. And for the markets that have embraced this flexibility, there is no going back. It is quickly becoming an accepted standard.

Show me the stats

Since 2019 there has been a 343% increase in mentions of flexibility in company posts and there’s 35% more engagement on posts that mention flexibility. 

LinkedIn has actually reported that when employees are satisfied with their company’s time and location flexibility they are 2.6 time more likely to report being happy. Happy workers, are very, very important. They’re also 2.1 times more likely to recommend the employer to someone else. Happy top talent bringing in more top talent? Excellent! 

Interestingly, “Work-life balance” actually tipped “Compensation and benefits” with professionals citing it as a top priority when choosing a new job in this year’s survey! So even if you’re paying more, you still might not bag that top talent.

Top tips for having a good culture and being more flexy 

1. Measure results not time

The days of being chained to a desk are over. People generally have their best ideas when they’re out and about. Who cares if someone didn’t spend their allocated 7 hours at their desk? The idea they came up with while they were having a coffee with the sales team, might be of more value to your business. 

2. Help your employees set boundaries 

Encourage them to switch off at weekends and set no notifications from IMs. Top talent is looking for a work-life balance. 

3. Work from anywhere 

Work from anywhere means anywhere. If your Graphic Designer and Head of Marketing both prefer to work from home but actually live near each other, a “work from anywhere” policy means they can catch up in a coffee house for their meeting, instead of making their way to the office.