How Businesses Should Attract and Retain Employees during 2022

With many employees working from home since the pandemic started in 2020, it was always going to be difficult to arrange for those staff members to return to the office. While some prefer the office environment, others have become happy working at home. This poses some questions for businesses such as how to attract and retain employees during 2022. 

Facing the Difficulties Ahead

Not all businesses are keen on keeping their employees working from home. Some believe that it stifles creativity and productivity. 

However, for the employees looking to go back to the office, they now find themselves with a choice to make. 

• Return to an office environment that may have been stressful.
• Choose to find other employment with a company that will let them work remotely.

This has repercussions for companies not only looking to recruit new people but also retaining those that have concerns. 

A study in 2021 found that 1 in 3 employees said they will quit their jobs if working from home ends for their company. So what can employers do?

Look at Employee Benefits

For those companies that don’t want to consider keeping remote working, they will need to look at some of the employee benefits to see if they can persuade staff to stay. 

These could include:

• Subsidised commuting costs
• Flexible working hours
• Hybrid working arrangements
• Subsidised health and life insurance

These employee benefits may help to keep some of your staff happy and willing to return to the office. However, other factors are also important. 

Changing the Mindset of the Team

These may seem like difficult times, but it is also a prime opportunity to look within the company and see if things can be improved. 

Review the working terms and conditions to see if there can be better working terms or more flexibility. 

Try to encourage a sense of commitment and teamwork if this has been lacking before. You can also address any stress that staff is feeling either from other colleagues or stakeholders.

Can Remote Working Exist in Your Company?

Of course, one other option is to consider if your company can continue with working from home as an option. 

It might be that not all job roles are suitable for remote working. However, those that already are, may be able to continue with minor modifications. 

This is where you can look at the productivity and creativity that your remote workers have achieved and see if this can be continued. 

You can then give your employees the choice of either coming back to the office or remaining on remote working. 

Final Considerations 

This is a time of unprecedented change for many companies. Some have embraced the new working arrangements, but others either cannot or are reluctant. 

Even if you agree to continue remote working, some staff may still decide to leave. However, it is important to look at all the options before deciding on where your company moves from here, and how it will affect your staff. 

With these ideas in mind, you will be able to effectively future proof your business, attracting and retaining employees throughout 2022.