It goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the job market and the world of recruitment. Industries such as the travel and tourism industry have been hit hard, whilst others including the ecommerce sector have flourished. But what has it meant for the average working person? Covid-19 has affected our lives in many different ways. But as the old saying goes, with every cloud there is a silver lining. There has been many positives to come out of the pandemic for employees and employers alike, and the recruitment and the job market has been changed for the better. Here are a few of the positives.
1. Simpler hiring processes
The hiring process has changed significantly during the pandemic. Where before, your interview process may have required you having to travel for hours on end multiple times to several meetings with different people in different positions of the company. Now it is more normal to jump on a Zoom call with them all at once, from the comfort of your own home. A lot of employers have claimed Covid-19 has actually made their recruitment process a lot more streamlined by keeping the whole process online, meaning they can interview more people in less time for lower cost. It seems as if this method of recruitment will stick around in the post Covid-19 world.
2. More flexible working options
Gone are the days when travelling hours on end everyday was the norm. Most of those who work from a computer are now free to work in their own home, or a local coffee shop, depending on restrictions. With the average London commuter previously travelling 74 minutes a day (not including the time it takes getting ready in the morning), this time spent rushing around can now be spent reading, meditating, or maybe just extra time in bed. All of which is proven to boost your mental performance for the working day and help you in your career for the long run.
3. Increased talent pool
Pre Covid-19, a company with a Central London based office would typically require their staff to be in the office 5 days a week. This means they would only have the option of employing staff who live locally or be able to travel in every morning. Now remote working is the norm, employers have a larger pool of employees to pick from, which in turn increases the talent pool. This is great for both employees and employers because employees who live outside of city areas can now apply for jobs not likely to be found in rural areas, such as jobs in fintech for example, and employers have a wider choice of applicants, helping them pick the best of the bunch.
4. Better work life balance
One thing working people were bogged down by pre Covid-19 was the lack of work life balance when working busy jobs and enduring long commutes, and how this impacts their social life and physical and mental health. The work from home shift has allowed us to spend more time with our families, take breaks and be in the comfort of our own home. Most employees have claimed to want a mix of home and office working in the post Covid-19 world, to get the nice mixture of the office buzz and the comfort from home. This has led to a huge number of employers offering flexible working as part of their job offer. Spotify have recently announced all of their employees are free to work from home with no change to their salary, so it will be interesting to see which companies follow suit.
5. Huge savings increase
An article by the HR Director claims the average working person in London was spending an average of £5,114 travelling into London to work. This works out at 18% of the average London post-tax salary. And as well as people spending around a fifth of their salary on travel, there are also many other pitfalls for working people in city areas such as expensive lunches, after work drinks and more. The savings being made here are phenomenal and it goes without saying that the 5-day commute may well be a thing of the past for many companies soon.
Posted by Oliver Court of Nexus Digital Marketing
