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5 reasons companies are struggling to hire people

27 Dec 2022

The UK is in the midst of a skills shortage, and employers in almost every industry are feeling the impact. In 2019, a report by the Learning and Work Institute (L&W) revealed that by 2030, this gap will cost the country £120 billion.

However, business’s hiring rates aren’t just taking a hit due to a shortage of skills. A survey by payroll software company, CIPHR found that over two-thirds of people view work-life balance as being more important than their pay and employee benefits combined, and a healthy work environment ranks as one the top five most valuable aspects of a job.

The rising costs of living and soaring inflation rates are further contributing to a disrupted work-life balance, as business owners are having to juggle increasing overheads and paying their workforce a living wage.

As a result, benefits are being reduced and corners are being cut by some organisations in order to remain profitable, placing a significant amount of stress and pressure on both employers and employees. 

If a business is struggling to retain or hire staff, owners and hiring managers should ask themselves these five questions: 

Is the workplace Disability Confident? 

According to The Mental Health Foundation, 30% of the UK population (more than 15 million people in the UK) live with one or more long term health conditions. 

When employers don’t put steps in place to become Disability Confident, they’re missing out on a huge talent pool as they’re limiting the amount of people who apply. 

Companies not being Disability Confident reduces people's confidence in applying for roles, as they don’t feel like they’ll be treated as equal to other employees.

Employers are able to access the Disability Confidence Scheme to help them:

• Challenge attitudes and increase understanding of disabilities 
• Draw from a wide talent pool
• Secure high-quality, skilled and hardworking staff
• Improve employee morale and commitment to the company

The scheme also has three levels to it, with the first known as ‘Disability Confident Committed’. Employers must make five commitments and take at least one positive action that makes a difference for disabled people. 

Find out more in our article about becoming Disability Confident. 

Is there enough mental health support for employees? 

Organisations should be providing mental health support for their employees to help create an open and welcoming workplace environment. 

Through Ingeus’ Able Futures, employers can ensure their team has access to nine months of free mental health support and guidance from certified mental health professionals. Our sister company, CIC Wellbeing also offers bespoke support to a wide range of industries with their EAP services. . This covers schemes for wellbeing, stress and resilience, trauma, support and more.

A recent survey by Mind shows that one in five people feel as though they can’t tell their boss that they are over-stressed at work and less than half of those diagnosed with mental health issues told their manager.

Due to this, employers should work on communicating openly that staff can talk about their mental health and that they’re there to listen to them. This could be shown through explaining that mental health will be treated in the same way as physical health and share a range of support available including Able Futures; a free, nine-month confidential mental health support programme available to anyone in employment.

Any employees in a senior position or who manage other team members, should be approachable and should consider ways to normalise conversations about mental health. One-to-one meetings are also a great way to catch up with staff and ask how they’re doing and whether there is anything employers can do to offer support.
 

Is there stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace? 

Helping people with mental health problems can be as simple as making small adjustments to someone’s job role or providing extra support from their manager. 

Being positive is a great way to help employees focus on what they can do rather than what they can’t do, helping to improve their self-confidence within themselves and the company.

Giving those struggling with mental health issues the opportunity to work with other colleagues to come up with solutions to as many problems as possible could help to considerably improve their mental health.

Finally, more often than not, people know what the triggers are to their mental health and what could be done to help manage it. Allowing employees to talk this through with someone could help them by giving them the opportunity to discuss plans and feelings with others.

Is there a clear Sickness and Absence Policy? 

Every company has to legally provide Statutory Sick Pay in order to support employees that are too ill to work. Not every organisation can offer more than SSP, but other ways to  support employees include: 

• Be proactive and get in touch with employee as possible to find out if they need any support
• Be sensitive and take a person-centred approach
• Be professional, supportive and positive throughout the entire process
• Maintain contact throughout their absence to ensure there’s no further support needed

Is career progression and support for trainees provided?

When employees provide career support, training and progression, staff turnover reduces and employee morale drastically increases. If an employee feels valued, they’ll do all they can to excel, and strive to build a better workplace. 

When creating plans for employee development, employers should consider:

• Creating initiatives such as career coaching, mentoring and learning and development programmes
• A progression structure for employees 
• The employee’s next career development steps. This can include training or goals they need to achieve

How can Ingeus help both employers and job hunters find their perfect match

At Ingeus we understand that as things change, people can face life with complex and long-term conditions. Due to this we want to equip people with the knowledge, skills and support they need to stay healthy.

We provide services on behalf of government partners, like the Department for Work and Pensions and the NHS to help provide help to those who need it most. These services include preventing Type 2 diabetes and helping to manage mental health.

To learn more about the health and wellbeing services we offer and how they can help, click here.