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Pockets of optimism remain in recruitment
Pockets of optimism remain in recruitment
Workers continue to be optimistic about their job prospects despite the economic climate, but some regions are much more confident than others. That’s according to the latest data from international recruitment expert, Robert Half. According to a new study from the firm – carried out by insight agency Opinium between 4th February and 7th February 2025 – 55% of the workforce remain confident about their job security over the next six months, despite economic headwinds.
When asked why, 50% cited their performance and niche skills, while 20% indicated that their industry is growing or in demand, suggesting that on-going skills shortages and a tight labour market continue to put the power in the hands of highly skilled workers.
While the data reveals that worker confidence is high across the board, the statistics also highlighted regional divides when it comes to worker sentiment. In the London region, 64% of employees are confident in their job security, however this falls to 56% in the North West and 46% in the West Midlands.
Matt Weston at Robert Half commented: “The professional services sector continues to experience strong demand for talent, boosting worker confidence despite conflicting economic headlines. Our recent Hiring Intentions survey highlights UK business leaders’ plans to increase the hiring of specialised professionals. According to our data, 82% of businesses plan to make hires in finance and accounting, IT, customer service, and marketing & creative roles across all types of employment (permanent, contract and project based) during the first half of 2025, which in fact is a 5% increase on H2 2024. Nonetheless, the regional disparities that we see in worker confidence, likely driven by the availability or lack of nearby opportunities, suggests that the levelling up and growth agenda hasn’t yet created a level playing field across the country.
“The fact that 50% of employees cite their performance and skillset as the main driver for their job security confidence, compared to 20% who mention industry strength, indicates that systemic skills shortages will likely continue shaping a complex labour market in 2025. In this scenario, candidates, particularly in highly skilled professional services, hold the upper hand in the hiring process. Their expertise and in-demand skills give them the power to set expectations, negotiate favourable terms, and choose from multiple opportunities in their career progression. Given confident employees and a tight market, employers must adapt their talent strategies to align with regional workforce sentiments, invest in targeted training programs, and offer competitive compensation packages to stay ahead when attracting skilled professionals.”
How to support employees suffering from cancer
How to support employees suffering from cancer
Balancing work and cancer has become a major corporate social responsibility challenge for organisations, says Professor Rachel Beaujolin at NEOMA Business School. Each year, 160,000 employees in France receive a cancer diagnosis. This diagnosis fundamentally changes their personal and professional lives, with medical treatments, fatigue, and stigmas surrounding serious illness contributing to these employees reassessing their priorities.
For HR professionals, it raises a question: how can employees with cancer be supported in continuing to work without compromising their healthcare needs?
Beaujolin says that standardised solutions, rigid support frameworks, and uniform responses are well-intentioned but unfit for purpose. This is because cancer treatment is a complex journey, often influenced by unpredictability, such as side-effects of cancer treatment.
“This highlights the importance of tailoring working conditions to the specific needs of employees affected by the illness, as no two situations are the same,” she says.
Drawing on a study she published in the journal Revue Française de Gestion (French Management Review), she proposes three key strategies to support employees diagnosed with cancer:
- Adapting workplace conditions in line with the evolving needs of employees and their treatments.
- Encouraging informal conversations to better understand and adjust solutions on a daily basis.
- Transforming practices by introducing greater flexibility and inclusivity.
Her findings are based on academic analysis of prior studies and interviews with employees affected by cancer, while also pulling from her own experience with cancer, recorded in a logbook.
HR salary increases fall behind UK average
HR salary increases fall behind UK average
Research from recruitment company, Reed, shows that the HR industry is lagging behind the UK’s average salary growth, with HR salaries growing at just 4.8% in the past year, compared to average national salary increases of 6%.
However, certain roles in the sector are bucking this trend, with shared services managers, organisational development specialists and reward managers seeing increases of 21.6%, 15.2% and 11.5%, respectively, according to Reed’s data.
And despite last year’s salary growth sitting below the national 6% increase, HR salaries are still substantially more than the general workforce, with HR roles paying an average of £48,400 compared to the UK average salary £38,900. Despite this, many still remain unhappy with their salary – and, according to Reed’s research, 100% of those who are unhappy with their salaries said it was because it’s not risen in line with cost of living.
As part of Reed’s annual salary guides, it analysed more than 21 million job adverts and asked 5,000 UK workers a range of questions on their salary and benefits – both current and expected.
Alexia Catt Reed, said: “UK employees are navigating tough times and although some wages have risen, they generally don’t keep pace with inflation and the escalating cost of living. With more than three quarters (79%) of HR professionals open to new job opportunities, the sector needs to look at how best to incentivise and reward its workers. For employers unable to offer significant salary hikes, investing in strong, well-communicated benefits packages is essential. Tailored benefits can significantly impact employee satisfaction, signalling an organisation’s commitment to supporting work-life balance and wellbeing.
“Our survey showed that alongside salary increases, employees would feel more valued if they received more recognition for their achievements (27%), more flexible working hours (27%), clearer career progression (23%) and better communication from leadership (23%).”
20% of Brits are earning over £1,000 per month from side hustles
20% of Brits are earning over £1,000 per month from side hustles
Now that we’ve started the new year and people in the UK look to begin a new chapter, a change or alteration to a career path is popular amongst Brits, with 22,200 average monthly searches for “Side Hustles” since August 2024.
Adobe Express has conducted an extensive study, to find out the sectors people want to set up side hustles in, and their main reasons for doing it, as well as their concerns for starting the process. Adobe Express also spoke to those with side hustles to share their biggest areas of success, from finances to time management, their marketing tactics and the most successful side hustle industries.
Currently, the most popular sector people want to set up a side hustle in is the creative and arts space, in fact, one in five (21%) of those asked want to pursue this area, followed closely by retail and e-commerce (18%). Other industries include Technology and IT services (15%), Health and wellness (15%) and Education and tutoring (10%).
People in the UK shared their biggest concerns for venturing into a new project, with 36% confessing that time management and pressure is their biggest worry. Two-thirds (66%), said that generating extra income is their main reason for wanting to explore a side hustle, however 34% agreed it was essential that it was separate from their day job.
To help people in the UK start their side hustle journey, Adobe Express also spoke to people that currently have one, to help debunk any myths and showcase realistic guidance and successes from their work and their individual industries:
- To give an idea of financial success, 73% of people with side hustles are earning up to £500 per month, with 20% earning £1,000 or more
- In terms of time management, 72% of Brits are spending up to 10 hours per week on their side hustle project, whilst 18% spend 20 hours or more
- Regarding the success rates, 64% of Brits say their side hustle is a success so far
- When it comes to marketing, 35% of people say social media platforms have been their best way to share the brand, whilst 18% confirmed networking with other entrepreneurs helped grow their project
Which are the most successful industries to start a side hustle up in based on time and income?
- Information Technology is officially the most lucrative side hustle with 24% in this field earning over £1,000 per month, followed by Engineering and Manufacturing (20%) and Science and Pharmaceuticals (14%). The least lucrative side hustles are for those working in the teacher and education industry, with 54% earning less than £100 per month.
- The industries with the most time spent on them (more than 20 hours per week) are Information Technology (20%) and Engineering and Manufacturing (18%). Whilst those with the least amount of time spent per week (less than 5 hours) include Law (50%), Science and Pharmaceuticals (43%) and Healthcare (36%).
Organisational culture survey shows widespread mismatch between behaviour and policies
Organisational culture survey shows widespread mismatch between behaviour and policies
A large-scale survey on organisational culture by Nottingham Business School has suggested that there is a significant mismatch between the advertised values and policies of UK companies, and how employees behave on a daily basis. Organisational culture focuses on how people within a company think, feel, and behave, and can have a significant impact on achieving strategic ambitions. Its intangible nature means it is traditionally hard to define and measure.
In the first study of its kind on the topic, more than 1,170 UK managers and employees from large and small-to-medium sized organisations across a range of sectors were questioned on cultural alignment; diversity, equality and inclusion; wellbeing; and opportunities to improve company culture.
Just 18% of employees feel their organisation’s stated values or external image is very aligned to the current culture, while a quarter (25%) believe that the behaviour of their leader does not reflect values portrayed externally. The results also showed that only half of employees feel like the day-to-day behaviour at their organisation aligns with diversity, equality and inclusions policies. Just 49% said that there is a strong alignment, with a third (35%) expressing that there are inconsistencies.
Although almost a quarter (24%) stated that their current culture does not support inclusivity, 76% said that it actively encourages positive choices or behaviours and discourages negative ones. In relation to wellbeing, more than one third (38%) thought that the current culture does not promote wellbeing and 31% expressed that their organisational culture doesn’t promote ethical choices and behaviours. In 28% of cases, respondents said that unethical choices or behaviours are allowed or overlooked.
Dr Zara Whysall lead researcher and Associate Professor of Business Psychology at Nottingham Business School, part of Nottingham Trent University, said: “Recent years have seen an amplification of interest among regulators and business leaders in the impact of organisational culture on company performance, ethical conduct and other important outcomes such as inclusion.
“When you walk into an organisation, you soon get a sense of the type of organisation it is: how to behave, what is acceptable, what is frowned upon, what matters, and what doesn’t. You don’t need to read its corporate values or mission statement. We can see from these findings that writing mission statements, creating sets of corporate values, policies and procedures does not influence or reflect culture unless these aspirations are embedded into behaviours.”
“Without this, you get cultural misalignment, a mismatch between the values espoused by an organisation and the way that employees operate day-to-day. The results from this study show that cultural misalignment is widespread in UK organisations, which is very concerning.
“However, the results were more positive when it came to the opportunity to improve culture, with 59% of people feeling that their organisation is close to where it needs to be, showing that many workplaces need a cultural evolution, not revolution.”
Happy New Year from everyone at Hr NETWORK in the 20th year of Hr NETWORK Magazine
Happy New Year from everyone at Hr NETWORK in the 20th year of Hr NETWORK Magazine
We’re super excited about this years Conference & Exhibition taking place once again at Murrayfield Stadium on Thursday 15th May and the Conference Planning team have opened the Delegate Booking Form for the Conference, which is all about LEARNING. SKILLS. ENGAGEMENT. TALENT. and we have included the details for you below. We’re looking forward to catching up with you at some point in 2025.
Unbelievably, we will celebrate 20 years of Hr NETWORK Magazine this year and your commitment and support during the past 20 years has been incredible and we hope you can join us at some point during the year to enjoy one or more of the many events we have planned to celebrate this incredible milestone.
It would be great to see you and/or some of your HR colleagues attending and if you have any questions, please just let us know.
Please also let us know if you are keen to know more about the Hr NETWORK National Awards 2025 Nominations with the Awards Gala Dinner in Glasgow in November, with NOMINATIONS opening in March 2025.
SAVE £50 on Early Bird Booking NOW!!
(By booking before 28th February 2025*)
The Early Bird discount for each delegate attending the Conference & Exhibition on Thursday 15th May is £145+VAT and we have group booking discounts for groups of 6 delegates or more. Please note that the Early Bird booking discount is available until 28th February 2025. From 1st March 2025, the cost per delegate is £195+VAT.
Delegate Package includes:
- 6 Keynote Speakers (Including 1 Panel Discussion)
- Networking & Exhibitor Area
- Lunch & Refreshments
- Delegate Bag and Goodies
- Official Conference Programme & Delegate List
- Plus much, much more
To secure your delegate place/s, and to take advantage of the Early Bird booking discount, please complete the booking form and we will send you joining instructions for the Hr NETWORK ‘LEARN. SKILLS. ENGAGE. TALENT.’ Conference and Exhibition 2025, which will be emailed to you in due course.
https://hrnetworkjobs.com/events/conference/
If you have any enquiries with reference to the conference, including sponsor and exhibitor opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Planning Team on Telephone: 0131 625 3267 or email: subscriptions@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO THE CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION on Thursday 15TH MAY 2025.
(*Please note that there is currently a high demand for delegate places at this time and to secure your place and avoid any disappointment, you are encouraged to submit a booking form at your earliest convenience)