The UK skills shortage has been well-documented over the years, and the UK’s exit of the European Union (EU) is only going to make things worse.
The EU accounted for 40% of professional immigration into the UK since January 2013, according to LinkedIn. If freedom of movement for workers from Europe is curtailed as a result of Brexit, then this island could be in big trouble.
Speaking to HR Grapevine, Justine James, Founder of talentsmoothie, outlines how employer branding, employee value proposition and unconscious bias can combat the inevitability of a decreased talent pool post-Brexit.
Employer branding
“It’s important that your employer brand honestly reflects what’s real about your organisation. Be transparent and clear about what you can offer and what you can’t offer. If you are working towards implementing something you know candidates will find attractive, but it’s not ready yet, tell them that. In our experience nine times out of ten the candidate will find it exciting to be part of that journey. Your culture should be felt the minute a candidate walks through the door, because it is being lived and breathed every day.”
Employee value proposition (EVP)
“At talentsmoothie we call this the ‘People Deal’. It’s what characterises an employer and differentiates it from its competition. A well-articulated EVP will bring significant benefits. It can create an environment where people can thrive and do their best work, and in turn this impacts on the customer experience, customer loyalty and ultimately improves business performance.
“For an EVP to generate maximum returns, it must be built around attributes that genuinely attract, engage and retain the talent you want.”
Unconscious bias
“You may think that your organisation doesn’t suffer from unconscious bias, and often the unintentional consequences of it. This is unlikely given how widespread it is. In America, for example, 60% of corporate CEOs are over six feet tall, even though only 15% of the American male population are over six feet tall. Does this reflect the unconscious attributions we give to tall people?
“Here are a more few tips for mitigating unconscious bias in your organisation:
“Raise personal awareness of how unconscious bias influences what individuals say and do.
“Get staff to think about how they treat people differently and question why that is.
“Ask teams to call each other out when they see unconscious bias in action.
“Encourage employees to think about how they should act differently as a result of increased awareness of their unconscious bias.
“Review your recruitment process to determine how unconscious bias shows up, from advertising through to selection, and determine what can be changed and how.”
