UK employers continue struggling with employee retention and understaffing

Experts say it’s time for employers to consider more than salary in efforts to recruit and retain staff 

LONDON, ENGLAND — With UK employers continuing to struggle with employee recruitment and retention, there is more reason than ever for businesses to consider using online talent acquisition services.

Amid the Great Resignation, experts are suggesting UK companies consider more than just salary if they want to attract and retain employees.

According to Iain Chadwick, managing director of workplace pensions and employee benefits specialist group Johnson Fleming and creator of AllMyBenefits, an increasing number of UK companies are finding that providing a salary is no longer enough to attract and retain employees.

He noted, “The ‘Great Resignation’ has seen employees deserting employers who provide little in the way of ‘value-added’ employee benefits alongside a basic salary.”

Chadwick pointed out that not only do companies suffer by losing employees, which is time-consuming and costly, but their remaining staff also suffer from lower morale and decreased productivity as a result of high employee turnover rates.

As such, he said “employee retention has quickly become a strategic priority for businesses”.

“A simple salary is not cutting it any more, as employees’ personal finances are taking a hit,” Chadwick explained.

The best resource for better employee retention

In an effort to address the challenge of retaining employees, Chadwick suggested initiatives like providing better benefits and communicating that in a way that’s easily accessible to employees.

This is where online talent acquisition services and job boards like Click Jobs can come in to assist. In acting as a key connection between employers and jobseekers, such recruitment services can ensure companies’ benefits are communicated clearly and upfront so they can attract the best possible applicants.

UK businesses not only suffer from employee losses, but their remaining employees also suffer from understaffing.

Talent acquisition services are usually more affordable than traditional recruitment agencies, and can access a wider talent pool given their online nature.

They are also key for combatting the trouble of understaffing, stepping in to assist companies that say they have been continually challenged to connect with suitable jobseekers.

In fact, according to the latest data by WorkLife by OpenMoney, an employee benefits platform, 28 per cent of the small and mid-sized enterprises surveyed said they had challenges with their recruitment plans.

WorkLife’s Head of Product and Proposition Rob Marshall said the data “strongly implies that smaller firms need to be exploring more cost-effective means of rewarding employees if they are to recruit and retain a team”.

He said, “Having an attractive rewards package in place doesn’t always call for significant – and permanent – financial outlay from the company, but rather support, flexibility and opportunity that fits with employees’ individual needs.”

Find jobs available in the UK or USA today via Click Jobs.