FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Employers in the cleaning sector need to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce if they are to win the “frantic” battle for workers, warns redwigwam.
The flexible worker company says that only by adopting new approaches can businesses expect to overcome staffing shortages that are at a “critical juncture”.
In order to assist employers, redwigwam has produced a white paper entitled ‘Surviving Staffing Shortages: How businesses can overcome the perfect storm generated by Brexit and the Covid pandemic’.
Lorna Davidson, redwigwam’s CEO, said: “While businesses adapt to a new normal as we exit the pandemic, it’s clear staff shortages are at a critical juncture and the UK job market faces one of its biggest challenges.
“With 1.9 million open positions, and a loss of potential job seekers due to Brexit, employers are finding it extremely difficult to fill positions without added incentives.
“Moving ahead, the recruitment process requires several potential changes in how recruiters conduct business and attract candidates.
“We know from our work in the cleaning sector the effect of the double whammy of Brexit and the Covid pandemic has had on employers.”
Davidson added: “The last eighteen months have been anything but predictable in the world of staffing. As we enter a new era of work, the ability to hire and maintain qualified staff has never been more frantic.
“Companies are having to rethink their own culture, policies, and expectations, while workers are reconsidering their workload and are seeking a happy medium that builds a work-life balance they never had before.”
According to the white paper, sectors under the most severe strain are cleaning along with retail, hospitality, transport and warehousing and food production and manufacturing.
The redwigwam white paper says that workers now have a range of demands when considering job opportunities. They include:
- Improved pay and rewards;
- The need for greater flexibility;
- Greater support in their personal lives, enabling them to achieve better work/life balance;
- More opportunities for hybrid and remote working;
- More incentives to assist with mental health including health insurance and expanded parental leave;
- Increased skills training.
To download a copy of the white paper click here.
Recruiting for soft FM services is proving more difficult in the post-Covid workplace. So, what can FMs do to overcome this?
Sara Bean, Editor of FMJ, and Jess Pritchard, Head of Corporate Sector at Moneypenny are joined by panellists:
- Mark Whittaker, General Manager, Thomson FM & Chair of IWFM
- Ian Wright, Soft Services Manager, University College London
- David Bauld, Group Facilities Manager, Paradigm Housing
- Coleen Cloherty, Director of Build Recruitment
Together they will discuss the current skills shortage in a number of FM areas, ways to keep staff engaged in their job through brilliant culture, and how outsourcing could be a solution to the recruitment issue. Secure your place now for Thursday, 25th November at 11am.
To register click here.
