While
the workforce across the UK is expanding with lower redundancies,
it seems that employers are finding it more difficult to recruit
and hang on to staff. This is according to the annual recruitment,
retention and turnover survey from the Chartered Institute
of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The research covered the period from January to December 2006,
using feedback from over 900 organisations, of which 100 were
voluntary, community and not-for-profits. It showed that eight
in ten organisations across the board experienced difficulties
recruiting in one or more categories of vacancy, though that
percentage was marginally lower for the charity sector (81
per cent as opposed to 84 per cent generally). And around
three-quarters had difficulties holding onto staff although,
again, the charity sector was on the lower end of this.
The general reasons that organisations are having difficulties
in this area look simple on the surface. The main problems
reported in recruiting staff were a lack of necessary skills,
followed by higher pay expectations and insufficient experience;
managers and professionals were therefore the most difficult
to recruit.
For retention – with around one in five people in the
sector moving jobs – major reasons included the lack
of a career path or opportunities within the organisation
Nicola Monson, CIPD research associate and author of the report
says that an initiative that has had the most positive impact
on tackling recruitment has been providing additional training
to allow existing staff to fill posts, which can also help
with retention. “Many employees aren’t engaged
with their job or feel challenged by their work,” she
says.
But the solutions can be more complex. For a start there is
the changing workforce, in which people no longer expect to
stay in a job for life. As people become more mobile, they
have higher expectations from their employers and their jobs,
and will move on if these aren’t being met. “In
addition,” says Monson, “the demographic changes
taking place in the workforce make it important for organisations
to embrace these changes and build a more diverse workforce.”
But how can organisations themselves act on this? Firstly
they need a clear idea of what they are actually looking for.
Natasha Waas, director of recruitment agency Charity People,
says that employers should think about the role first and
then about the person, but it doesn’t always work like
that. “They may go through the whole recruitment process
without finding the right person because they were not sure
what they were looking for in the beginning,” she says.
“If someone leaves they may present the same job spec
without much thought.”
In addition, people who are new to the third sector need to
be treated differently. In Waas’
view, these people frequently have their eyes on a particular
role, like development, and often won’t consider other
areas which are struggling to recruit. “So people going
into the sector need to be more open minded. Potential employers
could advise them to start off with some voluntary work or
work experience for an indication of how the organisation
operates. Depending on the timescale, organisations can also
recommend that candidates try any related community or voluntary
programmes to get a feel for things,” she says.
Of course, the salary differentiation between sectors is also
an issue. As chief executive of the Wildwood Trust Peter Smith
points out, people are just not paid much in the operational
sectors. “So when you need staff with skills that are
valuable in the outside world like marketing or financial
administration, the differential is quite high, which is why
you get problems with recruiting and sector swapping.”
To deal with this, says Smith, charity managers have to think
of “entrepreneurial strategies” which include
playing to the quality of the working environment, flexibility
and in-house training.
He also believes that it is the manager’s role to create
a healthy atmosphere. “It’s pointless standing
around whinging about charities not getting their skills if
you can’t keep these skills on board,” he says.
Other strategies can also be used to bring in high class recruits,
such as making use of your brand and developing a formal resourcing
strategy. As CIPD’s Monson says: “Less well-known
organisations could choose elements of their brand [examples
of which include culture, values and career development opportunities]
in order to attract the right kind of people. Some organisations
may not be including that in any literature they send out
to applicants.”
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Interview stress
Once candidates have applied, it is of obvious importance
to get the interview stage right. Charity People’s
Waas advises to be honest about what it’s like to
work for the organisation, and to find out the applicant’s
expectations for working in a charity in general.
Honesty here is key, as false impressions at the outset
will mean a short-lived employee if and when they are hired.
Waas says this also applies to areas of retention, like
the potential for personal development. “A small organisation
may have to recruit at the right level and be more upfront
about the real deal if they can’t offer much in the
way of development,” she says.
It is feasible that employers themselves may lack the know-how
to choose the right candidate, especially with applicants
from the private sector. Waas believes that organisations
can be wary of transferable skills, for example, as their
usefulness is a matter of judgement, and time and development
costs will most likely be needed to make those skills viable.
“So when people say they don’t get good candidates,”
she says, “what they mean is that the application
is not presented in the right way or the experience is not
an exact fit for what they think they are looking for –
so they may be interviewing the wrong people.”
Waas also believes that if people go into a job with exactly
the right skills then there is less scope to grow, and that
they may have done that particular kind of job for so long
that they will not have the same level of passion for the
role as someone less experienced who is out
to prove themselves.
Once they’re on board
When a new employee is taken on board, it is highly important
to have a good induction programme in place. The Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds, for example, was voted 42 on
the list of the Times Best 100 Companies to Work For 2007.
Its success, according to personnel advisor Christine Nixon,
partly comes down to its “excellent” induction
programme. “If you want people to stay you have to
inspire them in the beginning,” she says.
The RSPB programme consists of two and a half days at a
reserve, and includes learning about the company’s
work, watching film footage of birds that have come back
from virtual extinction and inspirational talks by the directors.
“The directors have learned that telling success stories
hits the button. This is backed up by regular staff briefings,
an amazing website and a sabbatical that allows you to work
elsewhere in the organisation,” Nixon says.
After the induction period, Charity People’s Waas
says it is important to keep close track of employees in
new roles, and listen to anything they have to say. This,
she says, aids in retention, as charities suffer the same
difficulties in this area as other sectors, with most people
staying in a role for about two years and then looking for
the next opportunity.
“Maybe the organisation has not given them a clear
career path to follow, or there is too much bureaucracy
or they just want to look around,” she says. “In
some organisations people have worked there for a number
of years and are set in their ways. Some new people, who
are more than capable, find it impossible to stay in that
environment.”
Of course different job roles require different tactics.
For instance, attracting high flyers may be of benefit to
some charities, but because of the lower wages in the voluntary
sector these people can be more difficult to get on board.
But the solution to that is offering a better deal, apart
from pay.
The CIPD did another report in 2006 How Engaged Are
British Employees which found that people are generally
unhappy with how they are managed – and that employers
seem less proactive at taking steps to overcoming these
difficulties. For instance, only 30 per cent of organisations
across the sectors were taking steps to improve line management;
considering the general disenchantment with management,
and the inherent difficulties with keeping staff once they
are hired, solving this is of obvious importance.
Wildwood Trust’s Smith agrees. He says that work has
become a lifestyle choice, and you cannot have a work culture
that doesn’t welcome achievement. “I have worked
for charities where the attitude was ‘don’t
screw up but definitely don’t rock the boat and achieve
too much’,” he concludes. “You have to
welcome change and introduce an atmosphere of achievement.
That is the workplace young people want. People have to
be welcome to try even if they fail.”
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