Remote working and recruitment: how to implement your solution

People's interests have shifted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as have their views on work, including who they want to work for and where they want to work from. With so many employees using technology like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, and email, productivity isn't an issue, but it's becoming clear that returning to the real office is becoming a problem.

According to a YouGov survey one in five workers wanted to work from home after the pandemic and this looks to have increased, the recent State of Hybrid Work 2022:Europe report from Owl Labs has highlighted that 52% of respondents who switched roles or are looking to, flexible location and hours of work are their top priorities. And with the cost of living crisis showing no signs of easing up, inflation rising and fuel costs soaring more and more people will want to avoid the commute if they can.

Data from Google shows that searches in the UK for “fully remote jobs” has increased by 550% over the past 12 months and at present, there are over 21,000 roles advertised on LinkedIn offering remote working showing the shift in people’s priorities when it comes to their working location.

With increasing demand for talent in all sectors, particularly in Tech, the "battle for talent" is changing, and organisations who are willing to move the needle in terms of remote working are in a better position to recruit and retain talent, as evidenced by Airbnb. When Airbnb announced its Live and Work Anywhere policy in April 2022, its careers page was flooded with visitors; in the week following the announcement, they had 800,000 visitors!

As an organisation what does this increase in the importance of remote working mean for you? Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and even before it, MCS Group has worked with many Tech organisations to advise on remote working, how to introduce it into their recruitment strategy and what it will mean for them. Here are just some of the benefits we have found:

• Increased talent pools – one of the main benefits that remote working has given is the ability to access talent. Imagine the benefits that being to recruit without restrictions of town, city and nation in some cases can give, think of those hard-to-fill roles and niche skillsets that were previously out of reach, you can now tap in to.
• Increased speed – from our experience the organisations who are embracing remote working and engaged talent remotely have found significantly lower Time To Hire figures and with advances in technology these figures will continue to drop.
• Reduced costs – the ability to recruit remotely presents reduced recruitment costs, by not having to take days out of the office for interview panels. Remote recruitment, in fact, is also more collaborative as it gives organisations the opportunity to get a wider variety of stakeholders involved in the recruitment process.
• It gives time back – for many people this is a huge factor when considering remote working, for years people have had to give up sports days, school plays and miss parent-teacher meetings but remote working gives people the flexibility to work around their family or other care giving commitments.

Over the past 14 years at MCS Group we have been relentless in our mission to raise the bar, set the standard and be the modern benchmark for international recruitment. MCS Group has developed and optimised a powerful suite of purpose-built solutions that empower organisations to build and retain world-class teams throughout the UK, Ireland, and the US. We have developed a proven track record in successfully building and scaling technology teams from Start-ups to major global organisations through to FDIs and have supported 85% of all FDIs coming to Northern Ireland as they establish their operations.

To find out how we can make your recruitment faster, easier and more effective and to understand how our Solutions (create hyperlink to Solutions page) can overcome your recruitment challenges, get in touch with Sean Devlin, Director of MCS Solutions (hyperlink needed to Sean’s LinkedIn profile) to find out how we will transform how you recruit.

If you are currently recruiting talent and would like to discuss how MCS Group can assist you in your search for talent in Tech feel free to get in touch at:

Belfast:  +44 (0) 28 9023 5456

London:  +44 (0) 20 38546666

Glasgow:  +44 (0) 141 3276666

Email: info@mcsgroup.jobs

USA Tel:  +1 617-861-4588

Email: usa@mcsgroup.jobs

Ireland Tel: +353 1906 9574

Email: ireland@mcsgroup.jobs