2016. How was it for you?
We keep reading about what a bad year it’s been. Granted, a lot as happened – you’d be hard pressed to say it was an uneventful twelve months. So what will the next year have in store for all of us? And will it be the year we begin to see flexible employees become the norm?
Who could have predicted…
We won’t be gazing into a crystal ball or listening to any opinion polls any time soon, but one thing’s for sure, uncertainty can often lead to fresh opportunity. So far this month, we’ve seen businesses such as McDonalds moving their European Headquarters to London, and Facebook and Apple expanding their London operations. Plus businesses such as ASOS have announced hundreds of new jobs.
Flexible workers on the rise
Many businesses are reviewing their processes and this means finding new ways to be more effective and profitable. One way they can achieve this is to look at hiring flexible employees rather than taking on full-time members of staff in the new year. Why? Because there are lots of talented, highly qualified professionals out there hunting for new opportunities who aren’t in the usual job market place and who can fill those hard to fill roles – they just can’t necessarily commit to full-time hours.
The power part-time list compiled by Timewise each year shows that many hugely successful men and women are turning to part-time work to build their careers. We often place part-time career professionals in companies who want to bolster their workforce with excellent staff, with only the cost of part-time salaries – professionals who aren’t yet ready to go full-time.
Think local, hire flexibly
So back to December. This month we’ve also seen what happens when train operators go on strike. The hours lost to businesses are insurmountable. Already, we’re seeing headlines suggesting that flexible working will be in greater demand due to the poor quality of service for Southern Rail commuters – but the long hours, uncertainty of service and rise of striking is a problem across the board.
Our flexible candidates (or Members, as we like to call them), prefer to find local work for this reason – every hour stuck on a train is a waste of time for employers and employees alike. When you’re working twenty-one hours a week for example, you don’t want to spend time on long commutes. It also makes life more manageable if flexible employees need to get back in time for wraparound childcare for example.
A new year, a new flexible role
Looking forward, we’re optimistic about the jobs’ market. And we’re not alone – recruiter Manpower has recently predicted a positive outlook too. So if you’d like to find a new role for the new year, please get in touch with us via our website. Or if you’d like to find flexible employees – perhaps you need HR, administration or financial support on a part-time basis for example – we can help. We recruit for all sorts of industries and place great professional candidates in a huge variety of roles.
All that’s left to say this month is, have a great Christmas and here’s to a prosperous new year for one and all.
Happy Christmas.
