This is a question which is playing on our minds a lot at present. Some days we can see huge resounding positives and light at the end of the tunnel, other days it seems like we will be stuck in a ‘Groundhog’ style loop of negative monotony.
The three key positives that we envisage for the recruitment and insurance industries are :
- Decision making processes when it comes to making offers will become more fluid and fast moving. We have placed a candidate in a role this week following an interview that happened at the end of last week. The candidate started their new role yesterday working remotely from home. This would not have happened in our market pre- March 2020. If we as an industry continue to use the technology available to us, and embrace how we can use this, recruitment processes will run more effectively than ever before.
- Flexible working. Clients have seen an upturn in performance from employees working from home. Logging on earlier, logging off later and no delayed commutes have all resulted in higher levels of productivity for many teams. Whether this is just a temporary improvement or not will remain to be seen, but it proves that people do not have to be in an office 9-5 in order to successfully fulfil the requirements of their role. Whilst, from our point of view, there is no substitute for being in the office with your team and the camaraderie this brings, flexible working will no doubt become a lot more accepted for all roles as we move forwards.
- The resounding positive for us is that the insurance industry was built for situations like the one we are currently in. In basic terms, when things go wrong, you contact your insurer/broker/MGA. It has been this way since the early 17th century and this will not change. Whilst the travel insurance industry has taken a devastating hit, the first thing most people will want to do as soon as they are able to, is to go on holiday. With this in mind, all areas of insurance will undoubtedly see an upturn in the very near future.
We can see the market not only recovering from the current situation but completely flourishing when we are on the other side of the covid lockdown. The technology that we are all embracing and using as best we can, will enable us to move quicker, sharper and faster than ever before. That said, technology can only support what we do, and it should not completely take over processes. In recruitment, we are dealing with human beings and we need to maintain that ‘human’ element more so than ever at present.
There are not many things more personal to an individual than changing jobs. It is up there with moving house and getting married in terms of the impact it has on your life. This is why we do all that we can to make the recruitment process as personable and as tailored to the individual as possible. No one process is exactly the same in recruitment. The recruitment industry is going to be a much more candidate centric market for the foreseeable future. This means that on occasions we are going to be making our clients, both new and old, aware of people who could be a great fit for your team or business. In our roles as specialist recruiters, there is nothing more pleasing than to see us make a difference for both an individual and a company in equal measure. We love presenting opportunities rather than just a quick fix as this is where we benefit our customers the most.
The disruption that we are currently experiencing will no doubt bring substantial opportunities when this is all over. Our place is to help as many as possible in finding that next opportunity that will enhance and improve both you and your business. We are expecting some exciting times and look forward to working with as many of you as possible!
