Is hybrid working the key to solving the property recruitment crisis?

With many estate agencies struggling to fill vacancies, business research suggests recruitment success could be linked to an employer’s ability to offer hybrid working patterns.

A study by flexible workspace operator IWG revealed four in five (83%) HR professionals in the UK believe hybrid working is essential in attracting the best talent.

Nearly half (49%) of the 500 HR professionals surveyed said hybrid working was an extremely effective tool to recruit and retain workers. Some 62% said they had introduced a hybrid working policy post-2020 following the pandemic and are seeing positive results, with nearly 60% reporting they had seen tangible improvements in employee retention as well as employee satisfaction.

IWG’s research also suggests that the shift to hybrid work as the new norm has also had a positive impact on overall culture and collaboration within organisations. The majority (95%) of HR professionals report a direct correlation between employee productivity, wellness and the number of days spent in a physical office space, with a quarter (25%) saying that three days in the office is the ideal number to maximise these benefits.

IWG CEO Mark Dixon said: “These findings confirm what we have been seeing for some time – that hybrid working can be a win-win for both employees and employers. The balance that hybrid working offers – between office and home, and work and life – supports employee wellbeing and as a result can help employers stay competitive when recruiting and retaining strong talent.
“The results also show that hybrid working helps businesses improve productivity, culture and collaboration and we will continue to see more organisations adopting it to future-proof their operations.”

Francesca Peters, IWG’s chief talent officer, added: “The competition for talent remains fierce. As employers, we have a responsibility to ensure the right policies are in place to give employees the best experience, and in order to get the best out of them.

“It’s not just about recruiting talent. Retaining the great people you already have is crucial and this study underlines the importance of hybrid working as a tool to do both while improving employee satisfaction and work/life balance.”

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4 Comments

  1. leelee30

    mmmm, okay so am an employer of 12 years now, am I right in thinking 

    1- You are self employed so no holiday or sick leave for me, no cover for me! I work  358 days a year no days off for Holidays, x worked like this for 10 years!

    2- I pay staff and cover the holidays illness maternity leave for FREE, it’s expected I work myself into the ground as it my business.

     

    3-  Recruiting now is a joke, 4 months trying to get a new member for my team,  interviews, don’t show up or they demand higher pay, a car, birthday week off paid, hours of work they try to haggle to a minimum of 9-2 Mon -Wed -Fri  or want to work from home so they can do waking the dog, shopping, clean the car, have nails done, ALL IN THE EMPLOYERS TIME, for same pay as 37.5 hours a week?

    How did this happen and it was fast!

    What is happing to the employers rights ?
    Do we not have any these days ?

    If a new recruit first impression to me are like that  on an interview, why would I offer them a job?

    clearly there not interested in production of a business career

     

     

     

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    1. jan-byers

      The problem is salaries

      How much are you pay9ign what are they likely to earn ?

      I read that the average salary for a negotiator is about 25k

      Any one who is any good or is ambitious will go to a better paid job

       

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  2. Woodentop

    Its not salaries, its attitude. Society has slowly moved away from working for an employer? Far too many watch the 5.00pm clock or complain that suggesting doing a little extra, is a crime. Flexible working has is merits but it is also creating a breed that could work the norm, which is the foundation for the employers business enterprise to work but is being sabotaged in some instances. When the banks closed at 3pm and the pubs shut at 10.30pm people managed and went before closing. I wonder how many hours of 24/7 is a wasted cost, chasing the odd customer who would come to you, if you were in control earlier in the day?

     

    You work for the employer, not the other way around and that has stood the test of time but attitude today is ….. how dare you say that!

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  3. Eagle60

    Long hours, little working flexibility, and below average pay.

    Comparable markets such as Recruitment and Block Management are swooping up employees that would usually become junior negotiators because they have evolved to offer the flexibility the next generation of employees want.

    Those that fight this will find they’re understaffed before long, putting pressure on their existing staff to pick up the slack. Which inevitably will lead to future understaffing issues. The archaic manner of Estate Agency employment is not appealing to the next generation in this modern day labour market.

    That, or pay them more to incite them to move away from roles which offer flexibility.

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