The recently published LGA Local Government Workforce Survey showed more than nine out of ten local authorities are experiencing staff recruitment and retention issues which, in turn, is driving an unsustainable reliance on agency staff, particularly in social care.
If local government is to address these challenges, then one approach would be for a more cohesive partnership approach across the private and public sectors and a resetting of long-held beliefs as to how we recruit and retain the staff of the future.
Since the pandemic, recruitment and retention challenges, while nothing new to the sector, are increasing. With increased turnover and demand for various skill sets across the board, how we address the skills shortages may not be solved overnight.
Rather than asking ourselves why is it so difficult to recruit to senior positions, could we not pose a different question? If what we are doing is not producing the desired outcomes, then what is the alternative?
From an executive recruitment perspective, finding the right balance is key. Since the start of the pandemic much has changed in recruitment, which has also brought about a rethink of certain processes.
One of the main challenges local authority colleagues encounter is how to take the good learning, innovative thinking and creative working practices from that period and embed them moving forward. Should the same notion also be applied to how we recruit, train, and retain talent?
Of course, it is necessary to retain certain aspects of older practices, and we certainly are not suggesting ‘discarding the manual’ so to speak. However, with several organisations struggling to recruit, is it necessary to hold on to previous processes and methods which are arguably outdated because ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’?
From a local authority viewpoint, the notion of changing long-held practices is resonating in places like Halton, where we are looking to change the way we do recruitment, while also becoming more aligned to partner organisations who know and understand the market and can help us navigate it.
We at Penna are becoming increasingly aware when we recruit, that our employment value proposition (EVP) is key. A badly designed complex recruitment process that results in a poor candidate journey is now the single biggest reason for candidates dropping out.
Some of Halton BCs solutions for addressing and improving the candidate journey include replacing long application forms with CVs and offering interviews to potential candidates at the point they apply, instead of waiting for long recruitment deadlines. While these changes may seem modest to some, our research shows they are making positive changes to all-time high sector dropout rates.
It is also clear that in today’s recruitment market and among the millennials who increasingly make up the candidate pool, it is common for candidates to be engaged with several opportunities at one time. To increase the chances of people committing, those recruiting need to make the process as easy as possible, otherwise, you run the risk of candidates dropping out.
At Penna, engagement throughout various stages of the candidate journey is crucial for interim and permanent recruitment processes. As we know, a permanent recruitment process may have several stages, and even interim roles can sometimes progress slower than expected.
Penna always engage with candidates at different stages of the process with regular updates as it is integral to keep interest in an opportunity high, particularly in such a challenging market.
Another sector norm which increasingly acts as a barrier to effective recruitment is the idea of one size fits all. A process that may be effective in recruiting a senior leader, isn’t necessarily appropriate for a junior role.
Aspects like the application process, pre and post interactions and perhaps most importantly the assessment itself, should be personalised for each role being filled.
The candidate application process is not the only part that needs to be a key feature of the EVP, it’s also the approach to candidate engagement. We need to engage with the jobs market through social media.
The onboarding process needs to be updated too, reflecting the shifting work/life balance priorities. At the very least, organisations should make a serious commitment to shared social values.
What is becoming clear is local authorities are finding it difficult to keep ‘on trend’. It is becoming apparent that after each round of recruitment, respective sectors need to review their processes and candidate journey to ensure it still works and represents the right things about the organisation.
At Halton, this review process increasingly involves working with partners who regularly witness good and bad processes, understand the trends, and can advise us how to get the very best out of the talent around.
George Agyemang is senior consultant, executive interim at Penna and Stephen Young is chief executive of Halton BC
www.penna.com
This article is sponsored content for The MJ
