How to Promote Your Flexible Work Environment in the Hiring Process

Offering a flexible work environment for your current employees is great – and it can also help you attract top talent in today’s competitive hiring market. Flexibility can make the difference between getting the candidates you want and losing out on them. 

Here’s how encouraging a flexible work environment can help you grow a broader talent pool and retain employees. 

Today’s Workers Want Flexibility

Employees today are demanding flexibility in where, how, and when they work. 

The keyword here is flexibility – employees prefer to choose between a mix of remote and in-person options, meaning a hybrid workplace. An all-remote environment will turn off those who want at least some in-office interaction, while an entirely in-person environment will displease everyone who prefers working remotely some of the time. 

And employers are increasingly finding ways to make flexible options work for their company’s needs. If you’re not at least considering flexibility in working schedules or where work gets done, you’re likely falling behind today’s trends in the workplace.  

The Benefits of a Flexible Work Environment

Offering flexible options keeps your current employees happy, and shows candidates that you take employee preferences and needs seriously. There are several additional benefits your company will reap from offering flexibility. 

Wider Talent Pools 

In today’s competitive hiring market, having access to a wider talent pool is beneficial. Offering a flexible work environment ensures that potentially great employees aren’t ruling out your company on this issue. 

In fact, almost 40% of job candidates worldwide have said schedule flexibility is one of their top three factors when making career decisions. If you’re not providing a flexible work environment, you’re losing out on that talent based on the flexibility factor alone. 

Increased Retention 

Once that perfect hire has been made, the work isn’t done – you also need to focus on retaining them. And offering flexibility is a very effective way to keep employees happy where they are. 

52% of workers want a more flexible work environment, according to McKinsey. And they also found that 30% of employees are likely to switch jobs if their current employer demands every employee return to the office full-time. 

Offering a range of options that meet the needs of all of your employees is essential to retention. Employees know they have other choices in a hot hiring market, so focusing on retention is more important now than ever. 

How Your Hiring Process Should Promote Your Flex Options

Simply having flexible work options isn’t enough on its own to attract candidates – you must proactively promote those options during the hiring process.  Many candidates approach the hiring process with requirements in mind, particularly flex options, and won’t proceed further if your company doesn’t seem to meet them. 

Job Descriptions

The first place most candidates will learn about your job openings and company culture is by reading your job descriptions. Make sure you reference your flexible work environment there so they don’t rule your company outright upfront.

Interviews 

Whether you’re conducting face-to-face interviews or asynchronous video ones, you should also ask your interviewers to discuss the specifics of your flexible work environment with candidates. 

This gives them an opportunity to ask questions and understand what requirements and policies you have in place – every flexible workplace is different, and candidates need the full story to make an informed decision. 

Videos 

If you use videos at any stage of the process, like outros to video interviews or showcasing employee stories on your careers website, you can add content about your flexible work options. Sharing stories from employees about how much they value your company’s flexibility can be especially effective. 

Follow-up Communications

When you follow up with candidates after the interview (which is something many employers fail to do, at the expense of their talent pipeline), you should reiterate the details of your flexible work environment again if you’re extending an offer. 

Since flexibility is such a critical issue for many employees and candidates, you should communicate about it throughout the entire hiring process. 

Looking for more ways to improve your hiring process and increase your talent pools? Cangrade can help.