Looking back at what always feels like the longest month of the year, this has been quite unlike any other I have experienced after almost a decade in recruitment.

I’ll give a quick summary of my thoughts on THREE things here, and then dive into more detail in future posts:
 
No early January flurry of vacancies – many clients wanted to explore options internally in response to employees handing in notices including:

• Assessing internal talent to promote into vacant roles (as I would encourage every organisation to do anyway)
• Attempting to retain them with counter-offers (often a short-term solution to buy the company time to find a replacement)
• Reviewing role responsibilities and organisational structures (again, I would encourage all companies to review the job description so that we are able to find the right person to fulfil the current needs of the role rather than a direct replacement who met what was needed a few years ago. It may be that the role could be considered redundant or the scope has changed so much that a new position would be preferable)

 
Questions about the proposed changes to the UK legal migration visa system announced in December 2023 – in particular the skilled worker and family visas in 2024.
 
Candidates having a clearer idea of working conditions they are prioritising in a new role including elements such as:

• fully remote, hybrid, office-based, and amount of regional, national and international travel
• core working hours and flexible hours to fit around commitments outside of work
• benefits such as private medical cover for them and family members

 
If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of them, then just reach out to me!